On Snow White Wings
by Tatsurou-san
Summary: Jade wishes that her life was all about magic...and gets her wish. Will it be everything she wished for? Edit: Obviously expanded to a full story. Please R
1. Careful What You Wish For

1. Careful What You Wish For

Jade hurumphed to herself outside the museum. "Come on Jackie," she said at last. "PLEASE tell me you dragged us all the way to London for more then just a museum opening! Tell me there's more demons...or a magical relic...a dig site...ANYTHING!"

"Aw, Jade," Jackie said in a conciliatory manner. "I'd think you'd have gotten all the adventure out of your system after we sealed Bai Tsa. I'd think the trip to the Demon Netherworld would have gotten you calmed down."

"Psh! As if! Sure, it was scary while it was happening, but I made it out just fine. When's the next adventure?"

"Jade," Tohru said kindly, resting his hand on her shoulders, "not everything can be all about magic."

"Says the Chi Wizard's Apprentice," Jade grumbled to herself. "I want some action! Adventure! Magic! Heck, I'd LIKE it if my life were all about magic!"

"Be careful what you wish for, Jade," Uncle said, smiling, as Tohru went to help Jackie. "You just might get it."

"Psh! I should be so lucky." Jade blew her hair up a bit, sulking. Right at that moment, an owl fluttered down and alighted on her shoulder. Surprised, she turned to stare...and saw an envelope clutched in his beak, with a red wax seal in the form of a capital H. "Uncle?"

Uncle took one look at the letter held by the owl, and his shout was audible in France. "AIYAH!"

Jade stepped back in shock. "Uncle! What is it?" The owl on her shoulder fluttered his wings breifly. "What's going on?"

Uncle managed to get himself calmed down. "Jackie!" he called. "We are going to miss museum opening! We have other things to do. Tohru! Come."

Jackie looked over at them. "But Uncle..."

"Do not question Uncle!" Uncle said, then turned. "Tohru, Jade! Come, we have long way to go."

Tohru followed, obeying his sensei's directives. Jade followed, looking very confused, as the owl dropped the envelope into her hand before fluttering off. "Uncle, what is this all about?"

"Read letter!" Uncle called over his shoulder, as he continued to lead them to another part of the city.

Confused, Jade opened the letter and read it. "Dear Ms. Chan, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Withcraft and Wizardry." Jade looked up. "Uncle, is this for real?" she asked excitedly.

"Keep reading!" Uncle led them into an alleyway.

Jade looked back at the letter, reading on excitedly. "Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress." Jade looked up as they reached a blank wall at the back of the alley. "I'm really going to get to attend a Magic School?"

"Yes Jade," Uncle said happily, tapping out a sequence on the wall's bricks. "The BEST magic school, Hogwarts. Welcome to the world of magic, Jade." The bricks shifted aside, revealing a long alley filled with shops...all selling magical items. "Come! We must go shopping!"

Jade eagerly ran after Uncle, up until Tohru picked her up and placed her on his shoulder. Tohru continued walking along, carrying Jade, following Uncle's lead. Their first stop was the post office, where Uncle sent Jade's confirmation of attendance. Before sending, though, he turned to Jade. "Jade, something you must know. Hogwarts is a boarding school. If you go, it will be for whole term, only to visit with us during breaks. You must choose if this is what you want."

Jade paused, lost in thought. "You mean...it's choosing between learning magic and...being with all of you?"

Uncle nodded sadly. "That is so."

Jade sat back, lost in thought. "Uncle...as much as I love you, and Jackie...and even you, T," she said, hugging Tohru's head, "I know I'd regret not taking this opportunity now that it's here. I'm going."

Uncle smiled. "I am happy for you, Jade." Uncle sent the letter. "Come now, there are things we must get you now." Turning, Uncle made his first stop at a place called 'Ollivander's'.

"What's this place, Uncle?"

"For the style of magic you will be learning, the most important thing is a wand. This is the best place to get one!"

Tohru set Jade down, and she went in. Uncle and Tohru waited outside.

"Good afternoon," a soft voice said behind her.

"WAH!" Jade shouted, jumping back and patting her chest. Looking up, she saw an old man standing before her. "Umm...Ollivander, I presume?"

"Yes. May I help you?"

"Umm..." Jade pulled out her Hogwarts letter. "I'm here for my wand..."

"Ah! A new Hogwarts student!" Ollivander turned to guide Jade into the back. Jade noticed Uncle entering discretely through the front door as she was hustled into the back. "Come, we'll see which wand suits you. The wand chooses the wizard, after all..."

As they entered, Jade stared in awe at the stacks and shelves full of boxes. She stood as Ollivander made the measurements he needed to judge which wand might be good for her...but her eyes were drawn to one particular box. She wasn't sure what it was about that box...but no matter where she looked in the shop, her eyes were drawn to it. As Ollivander came back with a few boxes, she pointed. "Can I try that one?"

Ollivander looked at her in shock, then turned to the box in question. "Ah, an unusual one. The wood is Cypress from a sacred tree, and the core...the core is powdered dragon's teeth. Especially good for combat spells, a duelist's wand." He handed the wand - polished to a lustrous black - to Jade. "Give it a swing."

When Jade took the wand in her hand, she felt a strange warmth pass over her. She wasn't sure how to describe the sensation...it was like having grown up with only one arm, only to discover the missing limb one morning, or to suddenly gain the gift of sight after a life time of blindness. It was...like she had been incomplete her entire life, only to find her missing piece. Suddenly eager, she gave it a quick swing. Rainbow colored sparks flew from the tip of the wand, forming star pictures in the air.

"How curious," Ollivander said. "I've never encountered someone who could sense which wand they were meant for..." Leading Jade back to the front, his eyes lit up suddenly. "But if you are involved, it makes more sense. How are you, Uncle?"

"Ollivander! Good to see you, old friend." Uncle and Ollivander exchanged a warm embrace of old friends.

Jade blinked. "Is Uncle EVERYONE'S Uncle?"

Ollivander laughed. "When she could sense which wand she was meant for, I should have known she was one of yours! How does it feel to have one of your family finally be born with the magic to get into Hogwarts?"

"It is wonderful!" Uncle said happily. "I am so proud of Jade!" Uncle and Ollivander exchanged a few more pleasentries as Uncle paid for the wand, and then they waved goodbye.

Back outside, they rejoined Tohru and headed out for the other things Jade needed. Part way down the road, Jade looked up. "Wow, Tohru, somebody bigger than you!" she said, pointing.

Following her direction, Uncle looked up and smiled. "Hagrid!" he called, waving. "Good to see you again!"

"Uncle, you old scoundrel you!" the large man shouted, striding forward. The crowd parted before him as he approached to seize Uncle and pull him into a fierce bear hug. "What brings you to Diagon Alley?"

"My neice Jade is going to Hogwarts!" Uncle cried happily.

"You, too?"

Jade turned towards the younger voice as Uncle and Hagrid reminisced. She saw a boy about her age with black hair, green eyes, glasses, and a strange scar on his forehead. She smiled shyly. "Yeah, I'm going to learn magic! Isn't it awesome? All this is so new to me!"

"Yeah, me too." The boy smiled at her. "Until my birthday yesterday, I didn't even know magic existed. Now, I find out I'm going to learn to be a wizard."

"I know! It's so exciting! I'm going to learn how to use magic, it's so awesome!" Jade paused. "Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." She extended her hand. "Jade Chan."

The boy extended his hand. "Harry Potter."

Jade smiled. "Good to meet you, Harry." Uncle started to pull her away. "Guess I'll see you at Hogwarts!"

"Looking forward to it!" Harry called out to her.

Jade smiled to herself as they continued shopping. It looked like she'd have a friend at school, and that was always nice. Maybe once she got to know him better, maybe she could ask him about the scar... 


	2. Getting Started at School

2. Getting Started at School

"Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!" Jade bounced from one foot to another excitedly on Platform 9 3/4, staring at the waiting train. "I can't believe school's finally starting!" Nearby, Ruby - the white cat with red eyes Jade had picked up in Tangeirs - licked at her paw, staring idly at Jade. Ruby was here as Jade's familiar, since they were already pretty close and a cat was one of the acceptable animals.

Uncle looked over at Jade as he sat on a bench. "Uncle can't believe Jade is so happy that school is starting." He looked up at the clock. "Aiyah! Uncle can't believe there is still two hours until train leaves!"

"Aw, Uncle! That eager to get rid of me?" Jade laughed. "Sorry about the early hour, Uncle. I was just too excited!"

"I know, Jade, I know." Uncle reached into Jade's bags and pulled out some of her textbooks. "Come, since we have extra time, how about we get a jump on your studies?" In addition to the standard textbooks on the required list, Uncle had added a few from his own library that he thought would help Jade get a good start on her wizarding career.

Jade squealed happily as she sat down with Uncle, opening the textbooks. First was the texts for potions. "Now," Uncle said, "this is going to be a bit different from how I make my potions...not that what you've learned from raiding my library won't help you..."

Time passed rapidly, and before long, it was time to board the train. Jade gave Uncle a kiss goodbye, and got onto the train. Searching, she found an empty compartment and sat down, getting her stuff settled. She glanced out the window, seeing Uncle waving at her. She waved back. As he turned to go - she'd told him he didn't need to wait until the train left - she sat back in her seat, turning towards the door to the compartment. There, she saw a familiar face.

"Harry!" she said happily, coming forward to help him with his trunk. "Good to see you!"

"Hey, Jade!" As they struggled with the suitcase, a pair of large, red-headed boys came and gave them a hand. Jade seemed a bit confused at the fuss they made over Harry's scar, and at their knowing his name. Apparently, he was famous or something.

Once they had the suitcase safely ensconced, Jade smiled at Harry. "So, did you know them?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Just met them out on the platform."

"Then how'd they know your name? You famous or something?"

Harry nodded. "There was this big dark wizard called Voldemort, who went after me and my folks for some reason. No one had ever escaped his wrath alive before...but after that night he dissapeared, and all I have from that encounter is this scar." He showed her the lightning bolt she'd noticed at their first meeting.

"So your folks got him?" Jade asked, curious.

Harry shook his head. "No, they didn't. I was just a baby, and...he killed them. But for some reason, he couldn't kill me."

Jade blinked at him. "So...some evil Dark Lord terrorizing the wizarding world has a critical fail trying to off you, and you get famous?"

Harry chuckled. "Something like that, yeah. It's actually kind of embarrasing when everyone keeps making a fuss."

"I can see why," Jade said. "I mean, if it was something you did, that's one thing. But what exactly is the point of making a fuss just because someone didn't die? Oh, uh, sorry about your folks."

"It's alright," Harry said. "It was a long time ago. I...can't even remember them."

Jade rested a hand on his shoulder, comfortingly. Right at that moment, the door to the compartment slid open. A young redhead boy stood there, about the same age as Jade and Harry.

"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, not noticing how Jade jumped back from Harry. "Everywhere else is full."

Jade and Harry quickly motioned him into the seat. Jade learned - when the two larger redheads came by again - that this was Ron Weasley, and the twins were his older brothers Fred and George. After a brief bit of time spent fussing over Harry's scar - Jade got a laugh with her comment, "That's going to get real old, real fast," - they passed the rest of the trip in pleasant conversation, talking about how they'd each grown up. Jade decided not to mention her experience with Demons. Not that she didn't think they'd believe her, she just didn't want it to sound like bragging.

She did express her opinions regarding Ron's fuss about Voldemort. "Geez, you act like saying his name will summon him or something," she said bluntly. "If you're going to be scared of a ghost, be scared, but geez! There's fear and there's unreasonable paranoia, you know?" Seeing the way Ron stared at her, she harrumphed. "Yeah, so the Dark Lord's big and scary...but that's because he played on reputation as much as power, or he wouldn't have gone to such effort to build it. Fearing to speak his name is letting him win, even when he's already gone!"

Ron had stared at her for a time, then shook his head. "Spunky little thing, aren't you?" That had got a laugh out of all of them.

When the trolley came by, Jade sighed. She had been so eager to get the train, she had scarfed her breakfast and not bothered to pack a lunch. While she had a bit of money - given to her by Uncle, along with her VERY well stocked potion and crafting kit - she wanted to save it in case there was something big she wanted to purchase. She was pleasantly surprised when Harry went and bought a ton of snacks - unusual ones, to Jade's eyes, but apparently normal ones here - and eagerly shared them with her and Ron.

The only brief moment of concern was when Ron brought out Scabbers. The moment the rat was in sight, Ruby's crimson eyes locked on the little rodent with a frightening intensity. The tableau remained frozen like that for a time, until Ruby gave Scabbers a rather spiteful hiss, and then proceeded to pretend the rat didn't exist.

"Guess Ruby doesn't like Scabbers," Jade said with a chuckle. As Ruby hopped into Jade's lap, soliciting affection, Jade laughed. "At least she's being civilized about it," she said, stroking Ruby's fur.

When Ron went to perform a spell to turn Scabbers yellow, Jade noticed the condition of his wand. Suddenly, she felt her fingers begin to itch. She knew she knew nothing about making or repairing wands, but for some reason she felt like she should do something.

After the spell - which was obviously a dud - failed, and Hermoine Granger made her fuss over Harry - which Jade found rather annoying - Jade rolled her eyes. "Gods, what a know-it-all," she muttered. "It's one thing to be studious, but does she really have to show off like that?"

As Harry and Ron chuckled, they continued to talk. It was in the middle of a discussion of Quidditch - which Jade was really looking forward to seeing - when Ruby suddenly hissed as the door opened. Three boys stood there, one the obvious leader, the other two obvious dumb muscle. The boy in the lead immediately started making a fuss over Harry, obviously trying to get prestige by getting Harry to join his little clique. Jade was pleased when Harry told him off, though she got rather irritated when the boys decided to try and go for the snacks she and the boys had left over.

However, the moment they lunged, Scabbers bit the one named Goyle on the finger, and Ruby was on Draco Malfoy's head, going for his eyes with her claws. They rapidly fled, and Ruby hopped back to Jade's lap, calmly licking her paws as if nothing had happened.

After that, since they were approaching the school, Jade stepped out of the compartment to give the boys some privacy to change - she'd changed into her robes back on the platform, in a restroom, shortly after getting there - before rejoining them to get ready for school.

Once they arrived, they were instructed to leave their luggage on the train. Ruby, deciding that she wasn't luggage, hopped to Jade's shoulders where she curled around her neck like a fashionable shawl. Letting off a mewling yawn, Ruby promptly fell asleep to all appearances. That startled a laugh from Harry and Ron, and they went to go to the school.

They got into the boats with Hagrid, sailing around the lake to see the school. Jade had to admit, it was pretty impressive. From here, she could just make out the soaring towers of the castle...but there was something else. The time she'd spent with Uncle, studying chi magic and dealing with artifacts and the like, had developed her senses in regard to magic, and finding her wand had expanded those senses to an incredible point. Now, setting eyes on the school, she could even tell from here: Hogwarts was alive!

As she came closer, the sense of life from the castle itself became stronger, and actually entering the building was almost more than she could handle. Feeling the living magic of the school - ancient and powerful - pass over her, she staggered against the wall. Harry moved to help her to her feet, but she stared at her hand against the wall. She could feel the castle's pulse. When Professor McGonagall arrived, Jade was able to shake herself out of the trance of the castle's magic...not because she was better able to handle what she was sensing, but because the sense of the power of the living magic withdrew somewhat, easing the pressure.

The castle wasn't just alive. After eons of magic animating it, and absorbing residual energy from every student, teacher, and headmaster's magical working to ever be cast within these halls...Hogwarts was aware.

She missed most of McGonagall's lecture regarding Houses, although she understood the theory. She managed to get ahold of herself completely in time to hear the Sorting Hat's song. Then it was time to be sorted.

When her name was called, she placed the hat on her head and waited.

After a few moments, she heard the voice in her mind. "Well, isn't this interesting. This could be difficult. Plenty of talent, oh yes, plenty of talent. A real thirst for knowledge that could put you in Ravenclaw...Ah! But you'd never betray someone who's earned your loyalty, would you? That's a real Hufflepuff trait...Although there's few things you won't do, there are lines you'll never cross, not Slytherin material at all...and courage... ... ...GRYFFINDOR!"

The last was shouted. Lifting the hat off her head, she went to the cheering table, smiling. She saw the Weasley twins motioning her into a seat, and sat happily. She watched as the others were sorted, and was quite pleased when Harry and Ron were both in Gryffindor as well. When Dumbledore said his piece, Jade couldn't help but grin. For some reason, Dumbledore reminded her very much of Uncle when he was wearing the Dog talisman.

Jade simply enjoyed listening to everyone talk. She did notice something happen while Harry was looking at the High Table where the teachers sat, but she was still reeling from the sense of the castle, and wasn't able to focus on it. In the end, she wound up almost falling asleep at the table...but Harry nudged her awake for Dumbledore's anouncements.

Listening to his speech, she grinned. *Note to self,* she thought happily, *places to try to sneak into when no one is looking: the forest on the grounds and the third floor corridor. ...wait until I've learned some good protective magic first, though.*

Later, she followed Harry and the others to Gryffindor Tower (she dozed through the school song, she didn't have the energy to stay awake), managed to learn the password (Caput Draconis), and then barely managed to stumble into bed. Ruby curled up beside her, and she slept long and deeply. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. 


	3. Teacher's Pest

3. Teacher's Pest

ProfessorMcGonagall gave her first year student's the same lecture about Transfiguration she gave every year, and then began them on turning their matchsticks into needles. She walked around the class, not really expecting anyone to get close on the first day. However, by the end of class, two students had acheived partial success. While one - Hermoine Granger - received praise for managing to get her matchstick silver and pointy, although not completely a needle, the other student wound up being talked to after class.

"Miss Chan," McGonagall said to her, "perhpas you could explain why you chose to show off in today's class as you did?"

"I wasn't trying to show off!" Jade insisted. "I was trying to turn the matchstick into a needle!"

"You expect me to beleive you transformed it completely into first a porcupine quill, then a manta ray tail spine, and finally a sea urchin spine...accidentally?"

"I can't help that my magic wants to do animal changes. I was trying to follow the lesson plan, but my magic is going by past experience."

McGonagall looked at Jade over the rim of her spectacles. "And what past experience is that?"

Jade scuffed her foot. "Magical artifact," she mumbled, clearly expecting to not be believed.

"Oh? Which one?"

Jade blinked for a few moments, then replied, "The Monkey Talisman of Shendu."

McGonagall blanched. "Really? And how did that work?"

Jade looked her square in the eye. "It could turn anything the energy was directed at - the user, other people, or inanimate objects - into any animal, and only animals. It could also reverse the change." Jade smirked. "Honestly, wasn't nearly as fun as the rabbit talisman. It gave super speed."

"You've...encountered more than one of Shendu's Talismans?" McGonagall was worried. If Shendu's talisman's were resurfacing...

"More than one? Heck, I managed to make use of all of them. At one point, I actually had all their powers inside me due to a freak accident." Seeing Professor McGonagall's rising panic, Jade blew some of her hair aside. "No worries about it, though. Also dealt with Shendu. Between my Uncle's chi spells, Uncle Jackie's skills, and the Dragon Talisman, I was able to blast his stone body to smitherines. He's dead as a doornail."

Professor McGonagall stared at Jade. "You...fought Shendu?"

"Not just Shendu. When his spirit possessed his former human lackey, I got to play a big part in stuffing his siblings back into demon netherworld permanently after he managed to grab the Panku Box."

Professor McGonagall blinked. "I...see." She turned back to papers on her desk. "You should get to your next class, Jade."

"Yes, Professor." Jade turned and headed out.

Professor McGonagall wrote out a note to Dumbledore. 'Jade Chan claims to have encountered and dealt with the Demon Sorcerers of China. Mentions the Chi Wizard Uncle was involved. Since you are personally acquainted with him, please look into this.'

Argus Filch didn't like the students. He had any number of reasons for his dislike, although he rarely pinned down any one of them for any given time. A general dislike tended to be more than enough, although a few students managed to find their way to extra special dislike, such as the Weasley twins.

However, this year there was one student who managed to arouse his ire, but without hostility. Despite his automatic dislike of all students, he found he couldn't bring himself to be hostile towards Jade.

His reasoning for this was rather simple, actually. Mrs. Norris liked her, and Ruby liked him. He couldn't go against his beloved cat, and she wasn't jealous of Ruby's affections towards him. To Argus Filch, this was not a scenario for excessive hostility.

Not that he was at all soft on Jade. As long as she stayed out of trouble, that was fine. And she always seemed to know where she was going around the castle. When asked about it in one of the secret passages when she was running late, all she'd been able to say was, "the castle tells me." Argus wondered what that meant...

Jade's classes progressed with varying degrees of success. What she'd learned from Uncle proved only somewhat useful in Herbology, although Professor Sprout noticed that the plants responded well to Jade's touch. History of Magic put her to sleep every class, but she took time to read her textbook cover to cover, which she found enjoyable since it felt like a historical fantasy novel. In Charms, she discovered that her magic was a good deal stronger than most first years...and her control a good deal weaker. An attempt to cast even the simplest of charms tended to result in explosive backlash. However, determination and practice had led her to master the Shield Charm - a rather advanced defensive charm - within the first three days, to avoid repeated trips to the hospital wing. However, she did have a tendency to burn through her magic rather rapidly, leading her to occasionally doze off in class or at meal times. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, she lost all interest, given that Professor Quirrel's teaching method left a great deal to be desired. Also, something about Professor Quirrel put her back up, and also set Ruby to puffing up her fur. Jade never trusted the sniveling types.

Potions however...while most of the other Gryffindors had been dreading Potions, given it was with the Slytherins and taught by Professor Snape, Jade was eager. Her magic experience before Hogwarts was with Chi magic, which was entirely potion work. So, when Professor Snape began to talk about "the subtle science and exact art," Jade started taking copious notes, eager to learn and compare.

When Professor Snape was quizzing Harry, Jade took notes and listened. While she recognized the recipe for the Draught of Living Death - she had both asphodel and wormwood in her potion kit - and recognized monkshood and wolfsbane to be the same plant, she had never heard of a bezoar before, and besides, Professor Snape was asking Harry.

When it came time to actually brew the potion they were working on, Jade worked from her textbook and a book Uncle had given her to help her along. It was a very old book, so she was very careful with it.

The potion they were working on was mentioned - complete with recipe - in both texts, and for the most part the directions matched up. But at one point, there was a minor discrepancy, which led to her pausing in her work.

"Is there a problem, Miss Chan?"

Jade jumped. She hadn't heard Professor Snape approaching behind her. "Professor, it's just the texts...this one calls for a coarse chop, while here it specifies a fine chop, and I'm not sure which one to do."

Serverus leaned forward to examine the books. The one he recognized as the text for the school year assigned. The other... "Where did you get this text?" he asked after examining it.

"My Uncle gave it to me...to help me with my studies."

Serverus stared at the book for a time, then nodded. "This one," he said, gesturing to the older tome. "Trust it in future discrepencies. It's a hard tome to come across, and very valuable. It was written by the premier potions expert of magical history, Lu Dongbin. Take good care of it."

Jade nodded happily. "I will..." Her voice trailed off, and her eyes seemed to zone out. Suddenly, she stepped around Professor Snape and thrust out with her wand. A sphere of clear magic formed around Seamus' cauldron as it started to melt, spilling its contents out to pool in the bottom of the magical sphere. With a flick of her wand and a focused expression, Jade sent the sphere over to a large basin - marked for disposal of magical waste - and let the contents spill into it. She then slumped against her own cauldron, breathing heavily. Seeing Serverus staring at her, she mumbled an apology.

"See me after class," he said simply, and then went back to teaching.

After class, Jade went up to Professor Snape's desk while everyone else left. "You wanted to see me, Professor?" she asked listlessly.

He handed her a glass. "Drink this. It should help to revitalize you."

Jade took the glass and drank it in small sips. As she did, Professor Snape spoke. "That was a timely and skillful use of a Shield Charm, Miss Chan. You managed to capture and dispose of a faulty potion safely and effectively before anyone could be effected by it."

Jade nodded. "Thank you, Professor." She felt rather energized from the drink she had been given. "I know from studying with my Uncle - a chi wizard - that a misbrewed potion can have disastorous results, so I practiced the shield charm once I read about it until I had mastered it. Wanted to have it ready before Potions class today, just in case I needed it if someone misbrewed a potion."

Serverus nodded. "Yes, about that. I have two questions. First, how did you learn to cast it silently? That's not taught until sixth year."

Jade blushed. "I discovered that accidentally. I was practicing the motions, the magic focusing - everything but the chant - and it went off. I researched it in one of the more advanced books, and learned that magic could be cast silently. Haven't figured out how to tell people about it yet. Like learning magic too much to come across as a know-it-all and alienate my friends, classmates, and teachers."

Serverus nodded. "Yes...but how did you know to cast it so timely?" He stared at Jade firmly.

Jade shrugged. "I...I felt the magic go wrong."

Serverus raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

"Well...I can sort of feel magic around me. I could - to a degree - before I even knew just how much magic there was in the world. After I got my wand, I could sense it much better. Could even feel that Hogwarts is alive." Jade paused and stared at the drink in her hand. "Did you slip Veritaserum into this?"

Serverus actually smiled. "No, it's just an energy potion, replenishing spent magic, since you burned through so much with that charm. Veritaserum would have neutralized its effectiveness. Those two potions don't interact well. So you felt the magic of Longbottom's potion go awry?"

Jade nodded, continuing to sip the drink. "All the other potions being brewed felt a certain way, but...that one felt harmful, somehow." She shook her head. "I don't know how to explain it better than that."

"Quite all right," Serverus said. "That skill though...the ability to sense magic like that, it's very rare. Cultivate it. With enough practice, you could even sense what spell an opponent intends to cast against you in a duel before they cast it." He leaned back in his chair as she set down the empty glass. "Now, as for your actions today...three points for Gryffindor House."

"Thank you Professor!" Jade paused breifly. "Umm, Professor? You mentioned that a bezoar will save you from MOST known poisons? Do you know where I could find a list of those poisons - and their antidotes - that it WON'T save you from?"

Serverus chuckled. Grabbing a scroll, he wrote out a note. "Give this to Madame Pince in the library. I applaud your academic aptitude." He handed her a note, giving her permission to check out a Potions book from the restricted section. "Now, get to your next class."

Jade seized the note. "Thank you, Professor!" She turned and began scooping up her books and other things.

Serverus watched as Jade prepared to head out. There was something so familiar about how she acted, her mannerisms, her behavior. Something that filled Serverus with gentle regret. "Lily," he mumbled to himself, "she's like the child we might have had..." 


	4. Lines Crossed and Drawn

4. Lines Crossed and Drawn

"Back, Fang! Back!"

Jade stood with Harry and Ron outside Hagrid's cottage, listening to the booming barks - presumably, the one addressed as Fang - that came in response to their knock. On Jade's shoulder, Ruby expressed her displeasure at the sound but remained where she was. When the door opened, Hagrid was hauling back on the collar of an enormous black boarhound. Oddly enough, the moment Ruby saw the dog, she began to purr. Once inside the cottage, the boarhound - Fang, apparently - bounded over to lick everyone's faces. Ruby hopped from Jade's shoulder to Fang's back, and Fang danced in pleasue, startling a laugh out of Hagrid.

As they sat and spoke about their first week of classes, Jade didn't have much to add. She had been in the same classes as Harry and Ron, and didn't have anything of her own to say. She didn't want to go into details yet about her dealings with Shendu and his bretheren: she'd seen what fame had done to Harry's life, with everyone knowing his name, and she didn't want that getting in the way of her own life. She certainly didn't want to become a household name before she was ready. Hagrid's familiarity with Uncle made things hard enough as is.

She stayed silent as they discussed Argus Filch. While her impression of the man - and his cat - had been more favorable, she could tell none of them would welcome such comments. She did, however, fnd herself speaking up when the day's Potions class was discussed. When Hagrid asserted that Snape hardly liked any of the students, she spoke without thinking. "Professor Snape gave me three points today." Silence fell in the cabin. She looked up at the others as they all stared at her. "What?"

"Blimey!" Hagrid said at last. "What did you do to get on his good side?"

Jade shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. He seemed nice to me. Maybe it was seeing I was a really serious student, there to learn for the sake of learning. But I think he's actually nice under that gruff exterior." Jade stuffed one of Hagrid's rock cakes into her mouth. Although they were somewhat tasteless and the raisins were rock hard, she was STARVING. She'd been unusually hungry whenever sitting down to food ever since coming to Hogwarts. "The points were for my using the shield charm to handle the misbrewed potion." Jade gave Hagrid the details of that event.

Hagrid shook his head, all bemused. "Well I'll be. That's a pretty advanced bit o' magic for a first year. I can see why he gave you points for it. Course, had it been anyone else, you'da probably got 30, not 3."

Jade shrugged. "Doesn't matter one way or the other to me. I didn't do it to show off or to get points. I did it because it needed doing and I was capable." She shrugged her shoulders. Seeing some newspaper clippings, she picked one up and peroused it. Seeing nothing of interest, she passed it to Harry before devouring another rock cake.

When Harry made the fuss about the Gringott's robbery, it peaked Jade's interest, though. A mystery! This was something. The old thrill from her adventures with Uncle, Jackie, and the others filled her veins. Carefully, she listened as the matter was discussed, making sure to get all the details. She made a note to herself to quiz Harry about it later.

Jade walked back into the castle, hand to her forehead, slightly dizzy. Flying lessons had not gone well. She'd managed to get the broom to her hand and mount it properly, but beyond that nothing worked. All her instincts in the air told her to do one thing, Madame Hooch told her to do another, and her senses regarding the magic of the broom told her yet a third thing, and it all added up to falling off her broom at low altitudes repeatedly. Thus why she felt severely bruised. Shaking her head, she rejoined Ron as they went to talk to Harry.

If she knew more about Quidditch - which did sound interesting - she'd have been more impressed about Harry becoming Seeker for the house team. However, despite how much she wanted to show her support, she was unable to focus much on the conversation. However, when Malfoy showed up to challenge Harry to a Wizard's Duel, she smirked. This was it. This was what she came to Hogwarts to learn about. She was a fighter; even her wand knew it. She told Harry and Ron flat out that she was going with them when they went to meet Malfoy.

Jade chose not to address Hermoine's comment about selfishness, leaving it to Ron to handle it. In her eyes, though, her assessment was wrong. This was a matter of honor, and Harry had to answer Malfoy's challenge, whatever the risk.

Jade tried to run after Harry and the others after Neville tripped over the suit of armor, but she began to feel dizzy. For some reason, it was more than she could do just to stand upright. It had been a mistake to stay up to go with to see the duel. Not only had the duel not happened, but she felt so weak...

She stumbled and fell. Catching herself against the ground, she lay there, not sure what would happen next. She heard a surprised yowl from behind her, followed shortly by a cold, wet nose being pressed against her neck, whiskers brushing her.

"What's this?" Argus Filch came up behind her. "Chan, is that you?" Filch pulled her to her feet, looking ready to yell at her, but his voice died when her head slumped sideways, barely able to stay awake. "What brought you down here in this state, eh?"

"...Malfoy..." Jade was barely able to mumble. She didn't want to say anything, but she was too tired just now to say anything coherent.

Filch shook his head. "I might have known." Sighing, he lifted Jade over his shoulder. "Come on then. I'd best be getting you back to your common room. Serverus told me something like this might happen to ya. I'm sure one of your friends'll be there shortly to help ya to bed. And..." Filch hesitated. "...I won't tell no one about this if you don't, eh? As a favor to Mrs. Norris?"

Jade nodded blearily, hearing Mrs. Norris purr happily.

The next morning, Jade was bright eyed, bushy tailed, and royally steamed. She stormed down out of the girls dormitory, her eyes snapping, magic seeming to crackle around her. The other girls of the dorm - even the older ones - kept back from her. The boys watched her carefully. On the way to the Great Hall, she saw who she was looking for, and stormed towards him. Before anyone knew what was happening, she had Draco Malfoy cornered in an out of the way space between pillars just outside the Grand Hall, her hand gripping his shoulder tightly as her other held her wand.

"I've learned a lot in my lessons, especially the extra work I've done for Potions," she said calmly. "Through my research, I have learned 7 potions that are untraceable by all known means and would leave you in agony for weeks." She gazed straight into his eyes, and the feeling of raw, unfettered power and fury from her was almost overwhelming. "I can accept this little rivalry game between you and Harry. That's normal. I can even accept you trying to step around the rules to try and beat him. I wouldn't expect anything else from you." Her voice dropped, becoming dangerously quiet. "But if you ever pull an entrapment like last night on him again, all seven of those potions will find their way into your pumpkin juice in sequence, and I will enjoy watching you writhe through the rest of the semester. Do I make myself clear?"

Malfoy nodded vigorously, scared nearly witless by the raw power Jade was giving off, and the fury it carried.

Jade released him and stepped back. Then she turned around. "If you're going to rival Harry, then play the game. Don't keep go crying to Daddy, Mommy, or Teacher. Stand on your own two feet." With that, Jade went to breakfast without looking back...never noticing the slight tinge of pink that suffused Draco's cheeks as he stared after her. 


	5. Burning Bright

5. Burning Bright

As Halloween came around, Jade was doing much better in her classes. In Transfiguration, she had finally trained herself off animal changes, and was able now to learn the basic premises, and was slowly building in skill. Her extracurricular research for Potions had born fruit, and her skill had improved a great deal. Charms still caused problems, as she had a tendency to put too much power into a charm. When Professor Flitwick finally got around to teaching the levitation charm, Hermoine was the first to demonstrate mastery by levitating the feather. When Jade managed a proper casting, however, her feather stayed right where it was on the desk. The desk, meanwhile, rapidly made its way to the celieng, along with several other nearby objects, including two chairs, three cushions, Neville Longbottom, and Professor Flitwick. By the time Jade was able to get everything back to the floor, she slumped over her desk, completely exhausted.

Harry and Ron helped her to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast later, which she devoured energetically. "How can you eat so much without putting on so much as an ounce?" Parvati Patil asked her in shock, not for the first time.

Jade shrugged her shoulders as she continued to devour the food in front of her. She didn't know why her change in diet wasn't affecting her weight, but she knew if she didn't eat as much as she could just now, she'd be sick from hunger later. She made a mental note to consult Madame Pomfrey about it later.

Right then, Professor Quirrel came in, shouting about a troll in the dungeons. Jade was immediately suspicious. Professor Quirrel was the only person in the school - aside from Hermoine, who was apparently crying in the bathroom from Ron's earlier comment - who hadn't been in the Great Hall. To her eyes, that meant he let the troll in, for some reason. As the students were filed out of the Great Hall, she staggered after Percy. Apparently, food would be sent up to the House common rooms. That was good. She was still half starved.

She noticed Harry and Ron taking a different direction, slipping away from Percy, saying something about Hermoine. They were going after her to warn her about the troll. When she spotted Professor Snape taking a direction seperate from the Slytherins AND the other teachers, she smiled. Someone else saw a distraction when it was obvious.

Later, in the common room, she noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermoine being on good terms. Later still, when they all started hanging out together, she heard about their encounter with the troll, and cursed her exhaustion. That was exactly the kind of thing she WANTED to be involved in. Although she was glad to learn that this resulted in Hermoine being added to her circle of friends.

Hermoine had been most excited when she learned about Jade's experiments in magical crafting. The small glass globes Jade had managed to craft - which she termed 'lore spheres' - recorded events in their surroundings magically for later veiwing, not unlike a video camera. Jade had been surprised to learn that technology didn't work in the presence of high concentrations of magic - like Hogwarts - and had set out to craft a substitute for that. When Hermoine discovered that Jade's talent for magic was on par with her own - although focused differently - they became fast friends, although they had a tendecy to compete with each other quite a bit.

As the first Quidditch match approached, Jade became more and more interested in the game, poring over "Quidditch through the Ages" with Harry and the others. When Professor Snape confiscated the book, Jade was almost more put out than Harry about it. She volunteered, therefor, to retrieve it from him.

When Jade got to the staffroom, she knocked a couple of times. On her third knock, the door creaked open silently, and she saw Filch handing Professor Snape bandages for his mangled leg. As Professor Snape commented about "keeping an eye on all three heads," Jade hissed in surprise.

"Professor, what happened to you?" she said aloud, rushing in. She reached into her bag, fishing for something.

Professor Snape glared at her. "Chan, what are you doing in here?" He made to cover up the injury.

Ignoring him for the moment, Jade pulled a bottle from the bag. Pulling the cork out with her teeth, she poured some of the contents over the wound. The glowing pink liquid coated the injury. As the glow faded, fesh pink skin spread over the bite marks as the wound healed rapidly.

Professor Snape stared as the injury repaired itself. "Most...impressive," he said at last. "Rather more effective than the one Madame Pomfrey brews. What recipe did you use?"

Corking the bottle, Jade handed a parchment scroll to him. The recipe listed was similar to the one used by Madame Pomfrey, with a couple alterations. "I find if I go with these changes, not only will it purge the wound of infections or low level toxins, but healing rate is increased by about 20%."

Filch whistled in surprise. Professor Snape nodded. "I'm impressed. ...5 points for Gryffindor, Miss Chan. ...Now, what brought you here?"

"I was hoping I could get back 'Quidditch through the ages', Professor, if it's not too much trouble."

Professor Snape nodded, reaching under the desk. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "Now scoot."

Jade nodded, turning and heading back to the common room. She mentioned what she saw to Harry and the others, that Professor Snape was bitten by something with three heads, and that she'd gotten 5 points for treating the injury with her potion. When the connection was made to the dog in the third floor corridor, she stayed quiet. For some reason, Harry and Ron were dead set on seeing Professor Snape as the bad guy, despite what Jade saw as evidence to the contrary. She kept silent, though, save for one comment. "I really think we should be more suspicious of Professor Quirrel. Honestly, anyone going to that much trouble to seem harmless is anything but." Nobody seemed willing to give this much consideration, unfortunately.

Jade sat in the stands with Ron and Hermoine as the Quidditch match started. She cheered with them, although the high levels of magic were rather distracting. When Hagrid joined them, she smiled happily. This was turning into a very fun day.

When she saw Harry's broom start to act up, she felt herself panicing. She had to help him, but what could she do? When she heard Hagrid mention that the only thing that could effect a broom was powerful Dark Magic, though, her mind snapped into focus. She had an idea.

Clutching her wand tightly, she began to chant. "Yiu Mo Gwai Gwaai Fai Di Zao...Yiu Mo Gwai Gwaai Fai Di Zao..." She felt her magic gather. Her mind seemed to open.

She could see the flow of magic in the area, the magic of the broomsticks, of the Bludgers, of the Golden Snitch. She could see the magic of every witch and wizard in the stands. She saw the magic in Harry's scar (she'd think about that later). ...she saw the dark magic floating up from the teacher's stands to effect Harry's broom. ...and she saw magic fighting it, countering the dark magic, but not completely.

Locking her eyes on the point where the magics struggled with each other, she kept chanting. "Yiu Mo Gwai Gwaai Fai Di Zao...Yiu Mo Gwai Gwaai Fai Di Zao..." Focusing all her magic on it, she willed the dark magic to be dispelled.

She felt her magic flood out of her, and she collapsed to the bleacher. She heard the cheers, a few moments later, as Harry caught the Snitch. She tried to join in, but she could barely get to her feet. She waved the others off, staying where she was, saying she'd join them in a minute.

A bit later, when the stands were all but empty, Professor Snape came up to her. "You stupid girl," he said, genuine anger in his voice. "When are you going to learn not to push yourself like this! You must learn control. If you keep burning through your magic like this, it won't be long before you burn yourself out completely!" He helped her to her feet. "Let's get you to the hospital wing. I'll call Professor Dumbledore to join me in examining your magic with Madame Pomfrey to see what is wrong with you, that you can't manage to control your magic enough to avoid this."

Jade shook her head, leaning against him. "...someone was using dark magic on Harry's broom...and someone else was fighting it..."

Professor Snape looked down at her. "You noticed that? Your sense of magic is improving."

"...thank you, Professor..." Jade mumbled, beginning to slip into unconciosness.

"When you're back on your feet," she heard Snape saying as she lost conciousness, "you really must tell me where you learned to combine chi magic with traditional wizardry." 


	6. The Logical Steps

6. The Logical Steps

Jade awoke slowly in the hospital wing. With a groan, she reached up to rub her eyes. As she blearily opened her eyes, the first thing that greeted her eyes was the celieng. Turning, her eyes fell on Albus Dumbledore. "Headmaster!" she said, shocked. She tried to sit up, but she wasn't able to move much.

"No, don't sit up. Just relax." Dumbledore rested his hand on her shoulder, keeping her laying down. "You seem to be falling off your feet quite a bit this semester, haven't you? Any history of fainting or dizzy spells?"

Jade shook her ehad. "No, sir. Just since I started attending Hogwarts."

"And started practicing traditional wizardry." Dumbledore stroked his beard. "It seems, Jade, that you are having some difficulty with your magic. Your reserves of magical energy are abnormally low for someone your age. Your spells are also abnormally powerful, but drain a proportionate amount of magic from you. When you use more magic than you possess, you lose conciousness. Also, your hypermetabolic state elsewhere seems to be your body trying to rapidly replenish expended magic and lost health. You are running a major risk of burning yourself out at this rate."

Jade blinked for a time. "You mean...it's like in an RPG, I've got a lot of HP but very little MP, and my auto-cast for spells has me locked at third teir, but instead of a spell not working if I don't have enough MP, I go negative, which inflicts me with Exhaustion, which causes a temporary decrease in max HP, which is neutralized by the consumption of large amounts of calories?"

"Precisely," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Jade stared at Dumbledore. "...you play video games?"

"Indeed. I'm rather fond of the Dragon Quest series." Dumbledore chuckled for a time. "But that is neither here nor there. What we need to focus on now is how to fix the problem."

Jade nodded. "Right. I need to learn to put less magic into my spells, and I need to build up my magical reserves."

"Yes. I do have something that might help with the former on a temporary basis, but it is the latter that I feel we truely must worry about. Given your unique situation - both here and at home - I'm afraid I must ask you to remain at Hogwarts this year over the winter break...for your own well being."

Jade nodded sadly. "Yeah...I guess that would be a good idea."

"Also, I must recommend not attempting combining your chi magic with the skills you are learning here until you have built up your reserves some. The spell you cast on the Quidditch field burned you out faster than anything else you've done here." Dumbledore pulled a small scroll from his pocket. "As for putting less magic into your spells...until you learn to control that on your own, wrap this around your wand."

Jade unrolled it. "A parchment spell?" she asked, shocked.

"A limiter spell," Dumbledore corrected. "It will reduce the amount of magic passing through your wand, while giving you a feel for the reduced flow. It should assist in learning to put less magic into your spells." Dumbledore stood up. "Madame Pomfrey will send for one of your friends to assist you back to Gryffindor House once you are recovered enough to get there." He patted her shoulder briefly. "Be well, Jade."

After he left, Jade sat back, lost in thought. She knew she had to find a way to strengthen her magic, to increase her reserves. Even as she wrapped the limiter around the wand, she promised herself she wouldn't rely on it, and would work to be rid of it as soon as possible. It felt wrong on her wand, sticky somehow, like touching something unpleasant.

Leaning back, she closed her eyes, deciding to meditate. Uncle always said meditation helped with magic. About to start chanting, she paused. Chi magic probably wouldn't be a good idea right now, given what happened earlier. Silently, she closed her eyes, seeking her center.

After about an hour, she opened her eyes. She felt refreshed, physically and magically, but she hadn't found a way to improve. She wasn't recovered enough to handle that just yet, but she had some ideas on how to proceed once she was. Getting to her feet, she tested herself, and found she was steady.

"Seems Madame Pomfrey timed it just right," Harry said from the door. "You alright, Jade?"

Jade smiled. "I am for now, Harry. Got a lot to work on to stay that way, though."

"Any way I can help?" he asked, concerned.

Jade shrugged. "Don't know yet. We'll see." Leaning on his shoulder, she followed him out.

On the way back to Gryffindor Tower, Jade noticed Ron and Hermoine in the library. "What are they doing in there?" she asked Harry.

"We found out some more about what that three-headed dog we told you about is guarding," Harry said excitedly. "Apparently, someone named Nicholas Flamel is involved, so we've been looking for information on him."

"Neat. Any luck so far?"

"None yet, and we've searched through dozens of books by now."

"Dozens?" Jade stared at Harry in shock. "How long was I unconcious?"

"The whole weekend," Harry said, looking worried again. "We were really worried about you, but Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let anyone in while Snape and Dumbledore were working on you."

Jade fell silent, thinking about this. "I see why Dumbledore thinks I should stay here over the winter break."

"Yeah." Harry was quiet.

Jade glanced over at Ron and Hermoine. "How'd you find out about Flamel?"

"Hagrid," Harry replied, grinning. "Turns out, the three-headed dog is his. Its name is Fluffy."

Jade laughed. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. So, what did Hagrid say?"

"Well, after a bit of discussion, he said that what Fluffy was guarding was between Albus Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel." Harry suddenly looked hard at Jade. "You aren't thinking of staying here with us to research in your condition, are you?"

"Aw, come on, Harry, please? I want to help!"

Harry shook his head. "I'm under strict instruction from Madame Pomfrey to take you straight back to the Tower."

"Please? Just one book I can read while relaxing, then?"

Harry sighed. "Alright, just one. I'll get one for you." Harry set Jade down on a bench outside the library and turned to head in.

Jade called after him. "Ask Madame Pomfrey if she has Albus Dumbledore's biography."

Harry stuck his head back out. "What good will that do?"

Jade rolled her eyes. "Duh! If Dumbledore knows Flamel well enough to guard something for him, he's probably mentioned in the biography."

Harry blinked for a time. "You know...that's not a bad idea."

Jade smirked at him. "I came up with the idea, so I get to pursue it!"

Smiling, Harry went into the library. He came back out with a book nearly two feet thick. "This is the official biography," Harry said, struggling to lift it.

Jade blinked, then sighed. "Oy, what have I gotten myself into?" Standing up, she let Harry help her back to the tower. 


	7. News From the Front

7. News from the Front

Uncle smiled to himself as the shop began making preperations for Christmas. Although it was a few weeks away, decorations - and sales - were already up, and he was enjoying the approaching holiday. The only dark cloud on his horizon was that he had heard nothing from Jade since she began attending Hogwarts. Now, he knew it would be easy, especially for Jade, to get caught up in everything she was learning and forget to write home, but it had been 3 months. He also hadn't heard anything about when to come get her for winter break.

Sighing, he pasted a smile to his face as visitors arrived. Jackie had decided that it would be a nice surprise for Jade to have the entire 'J-Team' assembled for her return for the holidays. Viper had arrived early, and had been helping around the shop. (Uncle privately expected that this was merely a thinly veiled excuse on both their parts to spend time together, no matter how much in denial about it Jackie was.) Tohru was helping to mind the shop, humming Christmas Carols and baking cookies. His mother was expected in two weeks, when Jade would presumably be back. As for right now, their two guests from Mexico had just arrived.

El Toro walked in, carrying a large stack of presents which, after exchanging greetings with everyone, he began to set up under the tree. Paco, meanwhile, having greeted everyone visible, looked around, somewhat confused and maybe just a little upset. "Where is Yade?" he asked, trying to make the question casual.

"Yes, I was wondering about that," El Toro said. "It is not like the little senorita to be tardy with greetings."

"I've actually been here a whike," Viper spoke up, "and I haven't seen Jade at all. Jackie keeps getting evasive when I ask about it, Tohru says it's not his place to say, and Uncle said to wait for everyone." Viper turned to Uncle. "I assume this is the everyone you meant, so talk."

Uncle nodded. "Before I say anything, though, I must swear you all to secrecy. What is said here about this must remain absolutely secret. You are not to breath a word of it to anyone, on pain of fate unspeakable."

El Toro and Viper both nodded. Paco, however, asked, "What sort of unspeakable fate?"

"Aiyah! What part of 'unspeakable' is so hard for you to comprehend? It may not be spoken of!" Uncle crossed his arms and glared over his glasses at Paco until the boy nodded ascent. "Hmph! Very well." Uncle moved to clear his throat, but there was a sudden tapping at the window.

"Why is a snowy owl tapping the window with its beak?" Paco asked, confused.

Uncle turned and opened the window. The owl flew in and alighted on a table, setting down a small package before roosting. The owl gave a soft, "Hoo," sounding quite pleased with herself. Uncle picked up the package. The address read, "Uncle Chan, Uncle's Rare Finds, San Fransisco."

Uncle smiled. "The reason Jade is not here, is because she is attending Hogwarts, School of Withcraft and Wizardry, a very prestigous school in the wizarding world, located somewhere in England. It is, however, a boarding school, and so she is still there. I presume this package contains a letter from Jade, with instrunctions regarding picking her up." Uncle opened the package.

A small glass sphere filled with white mist rolled out of the wrappings before coming to a halt on the table. As everyone gathered around to stare, a bright light emitted from it. The entirety of the shop seemed to vanish, to be replaced by a large room containing several tables, chairs, and a large fireplace. Most of the room distant from the sphere was shrouded in mist. Standing between the table the sphere was still on and the fireplace was Jade, dressed in wizarding robes in red and gold, bending over the sphere.

"Looks like it works just fine," Jade was saying. Then she stood straight, lifting the sphere in her hands. "Hey, Uncle! Sorry I haven't written you in a while. I've been SOO busy, and this place is amazing! The grounds are expansive, the castle is incredible, and the classes! I am just so bushed at the end of each day. I've been making good progress in my classes, but it's left me pretty tired out. Before I forget, I'd better give greetings. Please give my best to Uncle Jackie, Mom and Dad, Big T, Mrs. T, El Toro, Viper...and my second best to Paco." She grinned wickedly.

"Hmph!" Paco said, crossing his arms. When he spoke, the images paused for a moment, then continued.

"Just kidding," Jade continued. "I even miss that annoying twerp. Oh, by the way, I crafted this so that the playback would pause if anyone spoke in the middle, so you won't miss anything. I've gotten pretty good at magical crafting, and I'm really proud of these."

*As well you should be,* Uncle thought to himself, marveling at how advanced the magic was to craft such specific spellwork into something like this...especially for a Hogwarts first year!

Jade walked along, carrying the sphere. Instead of Jade moving, the image around the sphere shifted. "Come on, there's some people I need to introduce to you." The imagery shifted into white mist. When it returned to clarity, it was plain they were in a dungeon, in what looked like a chi wizards laboratory. Uncle managed to stifle a gasp at what he saw. "This is the Potions classroom. The things I learned from you, Uncle, have been a big help in this class." She walked up to the desk, where a tall man with slick black hair and a hooked nose sat, grading papers from the looks of it. "This is Professor Snape. He teaches the class. He's head of Slytherin House and - despite my being a Gryffindor, and the age old rivalry between the two houses - he's my favorite teacher."

"Thank you, Miss Chan," Professor Snape said. "That is kind of you to say, but who are you talking to?"

Jade smiled at Professor Snape. "Uncle. I'm making a magical recording to send him, since I haven't had time or energy to write since I got here. Come on, say hi to Uncle."

Professor Snape smiled thinly. "Hello, sir. I must say, you can be proud of your neice. She is most skilled. I'd say more, but I'm rather busy just now."

"Sorry to disturb you Professor!" Jade turned away, and the scene once more dissolved into white mist.

When it returned to clarity, they were in another classroom. Jade introduced the teacher sitting at the desk. "This is Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House, and the Transfiguration teacher."

"Jade!" Professor McGonagall interrupted. "Have you finished your assignments?"

"Oops! Get right on that!" Jade turned to leave fast, and the scene went white again.

El Toro chuckled. "It seems some things have not changed, si?"

Viper shushed him. "Don't talk during the movie big guy."

El Toro subsided with a quiet, "Sorry."

The scene came back into focus, once more in the room Jade had started the recording in. This time, though, there were other people. Jade spoke again. "Now I'm going to introduce you to some of my friends. Hey!" The sphere flew across the room to land in the hands of an older boy with bright red hair and freckles, grinning hugely. A nearly identical boy stood next to him with a matching grin.

"Hello, guv!" the first boy said. "I'm Fred Weasley!"

"And I'm George Weasley!" said the other. "We're good friends with Jade. She's a right rascal when she wants to be." Their grin was infectious, but they suddenly started hopping around like they had ants in their pants, and the sphere went flying through the air again to land in the hands of a girl Jade's age.

"She is trying to write a letter home, you two. Honestly!" She carried the sphere back to Jade. "Here you go, Jade."

"Thanks Hermoine!" Jade said with a smile. Turning back to the orb, she continued. "This is my friend, Hermoine Granger. We're kinda the magical brainiacs of our year, always compeeting to see who's better. Hermoine's more of a show off than I am, if you can believe that!"

"That's somewhat frightening to contemplate," Jackie commented quietly.

The scene continued. Jade brought the sphere over to two boys playing chess...but the pieces were moving on their own. "This is Ron Weasley," she said, introducing a boy with the same red hair and freckles as the twins from earlier. "Fred and George are two of his older brothers."

Ron smirked. "I've got three others, you know. Care to take them off my hands?"

Jade laughed. "Ron's been a good friend here. I'm glad I met him." She shifted to the other player. "And here's the first friend I ever made here at Hogwarts, Harry Potter."

Harry looked up at the sphere. "So, you're sending a video message home in a crystal ball? Kinda like sending home a tape from a video camera?"

"That's right," Jade said happily.

"What's a video camera?" Ron asked, confused.

Jade laughed. She stepped away from them, waving back at them. "You probably remember Harry, Uncle. We met him in Diagon Alley. Hagrid was helping him with his shopping for Hogwarts." Jade grew pensive. "Listen, Uncle...it's not all good tidings, unfortunately. I...won't be coming home for Christmas this year. See, apparently I put too much power into my spell casting, and I have abnormally low magical reserves. This results in me fainting quite a bit. To top it off, I've even managed to combine what I know of chi magic with the wizardry I'm learning here-"

"Aiyah!" Uncle interrupted. "Do not be doing that Jade! That is very dangerous, and will be very hard on your body!"

"Shh!" Viper said, although she was as worried about Jade as everyone else at this point.

The scene continued. "-which was even harder on me. The first time I did that, I was unconcious for neraly three days. Thankfully, it was the tail end of Friday, all of Saturday, and most of Sunday, so I didn't miss any classes."

At this, Jackie smiled at the notion of Jade being worried about missing classes.

"Also, the teacher's were understanding about my assignments due on monday being a bit late. But anyway, Headmaster Dumbledore consulted with Madame Pomfrey, the school nurse, and Professor Snape - the Potions Master, who you met - and decided it wasn't safe for me to return home over Christmas this year. Given how I am and the kinds of things we got up to, I had to agree. Guess I'll be seeing you all come summer instead. My love to all of you." The message started to fade out, but then snapped back into focus. "Oh, the owl who delivered this? Her name is Hedwig. She's Harry's owl, and I asked her to wait for a reply from you. I'd really like to hear from you, too, and I know it's hard to find an owl in San Fransisco. Thanks. Bye!" As Jade waved, the scene dissolved back to mist, and then the shop was once more visible.

Viper sat down, sighing. "Guess we won't be seeing the kid this Christmas."

"Do not be concerned!" Uncle turned to a nearby desk and began writing. "Uncle will write her a letter giving her all our best wishes, as well as send her something to help her with her magic problem!"

Tohru smiled happily. "We can send her our presents for her as well!" Tohru said happily. Turning, he sorted through the presents and placed all the ones for Jade - a rather large pile - on the table next to Hedwig.

Hedwig gazed at the pile, then spread her wings. Although she had a 5-foot wingspan - slightly large for a snowy owl - she was still smaller than most of the presents. She looked up at Tohru sadly and gave a helpless sounding, "hoo..."

Jackie looked down at Hedwig. "I think she will need some help," he said blandly. 


	8. Yultide Revelrations

8. Yuletide Revelrations

Jade woke up on Christmas morning and stretched. Blinking her eyes slowly, she looked around. The room was empty of people: she was the only first year girl in Gryffindor who had stayed at Hogwarts over Christmas. Sighing, she hopped out of bed, stumbling a little as she still suffered a bit from whatever was causing her magic to drain so fast. Glancing at the foot of her bed, she smiled. It was piled high with presents, most she easily recognized who sent them. She decided to sit down and open them.

From her parents, she received some of the latest music she'd told them she'd been listening to back in summer. She smiled when she saw it. It had been so long since she'd even thought about those things, she wondered if she'd even still like the music. Besides that, her music player hadn't worked at Hogwarts, though she didn't know why.

From Jackie came a new Super Moose Plushie. She smiled when she saw it. She had forgotten to pack any of her plushies in her rush and excitement over attending a magic school, and had been having trouble sleeping without something to cuddle. While Ruby was affectionate and close during the day, she prefered her own sleeping space. Hugging it tight, she placed it aside on the bed before turning to the other presents.

Viper had sent a few spy tools: grappling hooks, scanners, smokebombs, body suit, and the like, with a note about having every advantage. Jade smiled when she read it. Somehow she doubted Jackie knew what Viper was sending, and wouldn't approve if he did. Jade wondered if those two had gotten together yet. She'd have to ask next time she sent a letter home.

El Toro had sent her a box of home made buenelos, which made her smile. She could tell from how they were prepared that they had a variety of fillings. She set that aside, deciding she'd share that one with Harry and Ron, since they were still here, too.

Tohru had sent her a Strawberry Christmas Cake, along with a hand knitted scarf in Gryffindor red and gold. Setting the cake aside with the buenelos, she slipped into the body suit and put the scarf on. It was like having them all there with her. Sighing in contenment, she sat there for a time before opening the other presents.

Paco had sent her a jar of origami lucky stars, labeled to contain 100. Jade smiled. Paco had obviously done some research before sending her this gift, and it was touching that he'd send something of cultural significance to her. She wondered what wish she would make with these stars.

Uncle had sent her refills for her Potions kit, as well as a few potions he had mixed that he said should help with her magic issues. The note also said, however, that she should learn to mix them herself, as well as do research on more effective treatments, as he was. She couldn't help but giggle at that. Somehow, she could see Tohru sighing as they researched it, with Uncle's endless, "One more thing!"

Captain Black sent her the latest portable game system and a few games for it. Smiling, she switched it on, only to discover - like her music player - it didn't work at Hogwarts. Sighing, she switched it off. She had to figure out what caused that, and if there was any way to fix it. There was also a box of Every Flavor Beans from Hermoine, which made her smile. The attatched note was a challenge, since Jade had claimed when they parted that she could find a way to identify the bean flavors without tasting so as to avoid the flavors like vomit, earwax, and the like.

There was one last package, which confused her. She hadn't been expecting any other gifts. Curious, she opened it up. She found a thick, black, hand knitted sweater and a box of fudge. Tasting the fudge, she found it was quite good. The sweater was also quite comfy. Carrying the foodstuffs downstairs, she looked for the others.

She spent Christmas day happily with Harry, Ron, and the Weasley twins. She was surprised to learn the sweater came from Mrs. Weasley, but pleasantly so. It was nice to learn she was being treated like family by Ron's mom. Later, she went with the others outside for the snowball fight. She bundled herself up tight, and wore herself out completely trying to bean everyone.

She stuffed herself again at Christmas dinner, so much so that the Weasley Twins actually had to carry her back up the stairs to the Tower. They all got a good laugh out of it, and her laughter managed to scatter the worry from the others faces.

The next morning, Jade noticed Harry not eating. Hearing the explanation about the mirror, she decided she wanted to go as well. A mirror like that sounded intruiging...although not nearly as intruiging as Harry's invisibility cloak.

When they were wandering around trying to find it that night, Jade found herself drawn to the room in question. By now, she was beginning to understand how she could find her way so well, although she hadn't a clue why. For some reason, Hogwarts itself was helping her explore its halls. The sense of certainty that she was on the right path for where she was going came from the castle's awareness. For some reason, the castle wanted to help her find her way. She shrugged this off for now, deciding there were other things to worry about tonight.

Reaching the room, Harry let her stand in front of the mirror after him. She couldn't see what he saw, and when she stood in front of the mirror, all she saw was herself. "Wierd," she said. "You sure this isn't an ordinary mirror?" Then she began to feel dizzy, as her usual exhaustion hit her. Looking up in the mirror as Harry and Ron stabalized her, she saw her reflection wink at her. The reflection pulled out her wand and said...something. A strange mist came out the end of the reflections wand, looking like TV static.

Jade suddenly felt excited. A new spell! Her excitement, however, was rapidly overshadowed by a sense of overwhelming apprehension from the castle itself. Whatever this new spell was, it made Hogwarts nervous.

After making it back to the room, she stayed up for a bit, staring at her wand. Shaping her lips as she had seen her reflection do, she sounded out what was said, locking the image of the static-like mist in her mind. "Negate...incantato."

The static like mist came out of her wand tip, and it felt as though something that had built up inside her drained out. As the mist faded, she suddenly felt much better. She curled up to sleep, not noticing that the limiter scroll on her wand had turned to ash as she'd cast the spell.

The next day, she woke up feeling refreshed and leapt out of bed, eagerly getting ready for the day. Halfway through her morning preperations, she paused. SHe was feeling much better then she had ever since she came to Hogwarts and started practicing magic. Whatever spell she'd cast last night, it had solved the problem. She wondered what spell it was...

Taking out her wand, she cast the levitation charm, smiling as she exerted enough control only to levitate the book she'd aimed at. Pointing the wand at the book - a non-magical textbook she'd brought from home - she cast the spell again.

The moment the static touched the book, it dropped like a rock, the levitation charm completely neutralized. "Woah!" Jade said, shocked. She stared at her wand. "What the hell is this spell?"

She noticed at breakfast that Harry wasn't eating, like the day before. She decided she'd go with him tonight when he visited the mirror. She needed to know what was going on with the mirror, with Harry...all of it.

Jade got to the mirror before Harry did, despite how fast he was running. Staring into the mirror, she thought of all the questions she wanted answers to. How the mirror worked, what the spell it taught her was, why she could feel the castle...

As she stared into the mirror, her reflection smirked at her, held up her hand, and shook one finger at her as though saying, "Ah ah ah!"

Blinking for a bit, Jade suddenly laughed. "This thing acts like me!" she said disgustedly.

"That's rather disturbing," said a voice from behind her.

She and Harry turned around, seeing Albus Dumbledore sitting there. Jade shrugged, turning back to the mirror. "What's up with this thing?" she asked, seeing only her ordinary reflection once more. "How come sometimes all I see is me, but sometimes not?"

"And why does it show me my family?" Harry asked, confused.

Dumbledore smiled. "This is the Mirror of Erised. It reflects the deepest, most desperate desires of our hearts. You, Harry, who have never known your family, see yourself surrounded by them. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of them all." He turned to Jade. "You did not mention what you saw in the mirror before, Miss Chan."

Jade shrugged. "At first, it was just my reflection. But when I got dizzy, it showed me a spell. When i cast the spell for the first time, it seemed to fix the problem of my magic balance somehow. But when i wanted to see more about the spell and other things, it just did this." SHe demonstrated the action.

Dumbledore laughed. "While the cure to your condition was something you wanted most desperately, these other questions...you don't really want their answers handed to you on a silver platter, do you? You want to find the answers for your self. You may have sought to take a shortcut, but deep down, you knew you wanted the joy of discovery. And so did the mirror. As for now..." Dumbledore smiled, wonderingly. "If it shows you as you are, then at this point in your life, you are exactly where you want to be, doing exactly what you want to do, fulfilling your deepest desires. You are most fortunate, Jade. Few are there anywhere in the world who can say that with any sincerity. Now, you should get off to bed. It is getting late, and tomorrow is a new day."

Grinning, Jade bid Dumbledore goodnight, making her own way back to Gryffindor Tower, seeing Dumbledore wished to talk to Harry longer. Reaching her bed without incident, she stroked Ruby affectionately, curled up in her bed, and drifted off into pleasent slumber. 


	9. Time Marches On

9. Time Marches On

Jade sat up in her bed, glowering at the images that floated in the air in front of her, projected by one of her lorespheres. She sifted through them, trying to make sense of her discovery. In Dumbledore's biography, Jade had found Nicolas Flamel mentioned in regard to Dumbledore's work on Alchemy, with Flamel named as a renowned alchemist. It didn't even take another reference book for Jade to figure out what Fluffy was guarding. There was only one thing an Alchemist would want protected that would need that much protection...the Philosopher's Stone.

She knew the old myths she'd heard. Could turn base metals into gold, and granted immortality...it was pretty obvious this would be something the uneducated would seek eagerly...but she couldn't figure out why anyone who knew enough about it would want it. Base metals into gold...misused, that would cause the value of gold to plummet, destroying it's usefullness as money, and it didn't have any mystical significance beyond it's scarcity. As for immortality...one of the characters in a novel she read had described eternal life as 'an eternal funeral.' After reading further, she'd understood what it meant, and it had the ring of truth. Watching everyone you ever loved and cared about wither and die whilst you lived on, unchanging...she couldn't imagine why anyone who could think would want such things.

She stared at the data she had floating before her and kicked at her bedpost. It made no sense. Grumbling to herself, she rubbed an itch on her right arm. This, at least, she could easily explain. After discovering the anti-magic spell from the Mirror of Erised, she'd come across a different problem from before. Her magic no longer suffered from excessive depletion...but she still had no easy way of controlling how much magic went into each spell, and she'd run into other problems. Her magic had now started building up rather excessively, to the point that the flood of magic that came out with any spell she cast left her vital energy drained. She'd learned from a text on ancient runes that her body was not yet strong enough for the amount of magic her body was generating...and releasing. Apparently, this was why very few young witches and wizards trained in both chi magic and traditional wizardry. They didn't mesh well. However, the book did have a solution and, after spending the rest of winter break practicing, the result was now etched into Jade's right arm.

Her kick against the bedpost had brought attention from the girl from the upper bunk, however. Hermoine glanced down at her. "Jade, what are you still doing up?" Then she saw the illumination from the lore sphere. "What's this?"

Jade sighed in frustration. "I'm pretty sure I've figured out what Fluffy's guarding...but Fluffy can't be the only thing guarding it, and I can't figure out why anyone who knew enough to get past the defences would want it."

Hermoine blinked in confusion. "Why? What do you think it is?"

"Dumbledore worked with Flamel on Alchemy...so it can only be a Philosopher's Stone. But..." She gestured at the various notes of all her musings floating in the air. "I'm missing something in the equation. What am I missing?" Jade grumbled as she glared at the display, idly stroking Ruby, who'd come up to purr her reassurances.

Hermoine looked over everything, her lips moving slowly. "Jade," she said at last. "A good deal of the Dark Arts feeds on death and suffering. For a good witch or wizard, it would make no sense given what you've presented...but for a Dark wizard..."

"Or a Dark Lord," Jade said suddenly, shifting the bits and pieces of data around rapidly, adding this last detail. Now it all made sense. A terrible, forbidding sense. All of a sudden, she shut off the lore sphere. "I think I know what's really going on...but until I have proof, I dare not say anything." Putting the sphere away, she lay down. "Get some sleep, Hermoine. Classes start again tomorrow."

"Jade..." Hermoine watched her for a while, but then curled up. Jade was right, classes tomorrow.

0000000000000

Classes had gone rather well for Jade over the next few weeks. The measures Jade had taken made it much easier to make her way through classes, as well as preventing the bouts of weakness she'd been dealing with since day one. There were still the occasional flare ups, however, and mystic build up was becoming more of a problem. Thankfully, a letter she had sent about it to Uncle had received unexpected returns that made her ever so grateful for her family. The next care package from home contained a large black opal pendant. The note said that Jackie had gotten a hold of it through work, and Uncle had used her wands mystic energies to key it to her magical aura. The excess magic she built up would automatically store itself in the opal as long as she wore it. She now wore it constantly.

Jade ran her finger over the opal under her clothes, smiling to herself, as she sat in the stands for the next Quidditch game. She knew Harry, Ron, and Hermoine were nervous about Snape referreeing, but she wasn't. She'd begun to get a better sense of the magic she could sense, and the magic that had fought the darkness on Harry's broom last match had been Snape's. That told Jade quite plainly that, however else Snape may feel about Harry, he didn't want him dead. That removed him from Jade's list of suspects, given what she suspected.

As Ron, Hermoine, and Neville started to make noise while she watched the game, she turned to see what was up. She saw there was a bit of an altercation between them and Malfoy and his goons. As soon as her eyes fell on Malfoy, he fell silent, his face paling a bit. She raised her eyebrow as she looked at him. "I'm trying to watch the game," she said mildly. When Malfoy nodded, she turned back to the game, ignoring Ron and Hermoine staring at her in shock.

After the game, Jade returned to the common room to await Harry's return. When she heard about Snape's conversation with Quirrel, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. While the others were certain it meant Snape was trying to get Quirrel's protection out of him, it told her that Snape knew Quirrel had sold out. The only question was to whom.

The next few weeks didn't give her much time to think about it, however, as exams were coming up. She spent a good deal of time with the others as they studied together - they each had a few things they were better at than the others, Jade's specialty being Potions - but sometime's she felt a need to just wander the grounds. She was walking by Hagrid's cottage - she noticed the others approaching, apparently to visit - when she felt something from within that surprised her; a powerful source of living magic. She immediately knocked on Hagrid's door.

Hagrid opened the door a crack. "Jade? What brings you out here? The others will be along shortly. Come in." He let her in, and the others filed in after her.

Ignoring everything else for the moment - she'd look into it later - she made a beeline for the source of the living magic...a large, black egg sitting in the fire. She stared at it, extending her senses to it. It didn't take long for her to figure out what it was, not with the way her wand was singing to her in her grip. "Hagrid...how did you get a dragon egg?" she asked, her voice a mix of awe and fear.

As she listened to Hagrid's explanation, she continued to feel the egg with her magic. The hatchling inside was moving sluggishly, questing for something. She felt for it, trying to perceive beyond what her normal senses could tell her...and then she hit on what was missing. "Hagrid," she said at last, "put more of your magic into the fire."

"Eh?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Dragon's are creatures of magic. They breathe fire on their eggs to keep them warm...but there are other ways to warm eggs. Why not nest like birds or lizards? There's magic in a dragon's breath...and that magic is how a hatchling knows its parents. A hatchling dragon always knows his or her parents, not by sight or scent, but because their magic nourishes the hatchling while still in the egg."

"How can you tell this?" Hermoine asked as Hagrid grabbed his umbrella. "This isn't in any of the texts."

"Because I can feel the hatchling's magic," Jade said calmly. "He - or she, that's not clear yet - is aware to an extent, but only feels lonliness. When it felt my magic touch the egg as I was sensing, the creature stirred, trying to touch my magic." She watched as Hagrid put his magic into the fire, and felt the hatchling's joy at what it believed was its mother's breath. "He'll know you now, Hagrid. When the child hatches, he will know you as Mother. Be sure to put your magic into the fire regularly."

"Thanks Jade," Hagrid said gratefully. "Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

Jade looked at him sadly. "Someone is trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone. I don't know why, but I'm certain it's an inside job. Narrow my suspect list for me, Hagrid. Who is involved in protecting it?"

Hagrid winced. "I really shouldn't..."

"Hagrid, right now I'm working from a blank slate. I'm forced to suspect everyone. If we can figure out who's after the stone BEFORE they make an attempt, we can go to Dumbledore with it."

Hagrid sighed. "Alright...but don't go telling anyone you heard it from me, alright?" As Jade and the others nodded, Hagrid began to talk, telling only those who were involved, not what was done. The others stayed silent, since Jade obviously knew what she was doing.

Over the next few days, Jade and the others discussed what they'd learned from Hagrid about the Stone's defenses...as well as the dragon. Neither discussion led to any good result. When Hagrid's note came informing them the egg was hatching, they headed down as soon as the break between classes started.

Jade watched carefully as the dragon hatched. When it was finally out, she stared in awe at the relatively tiny creature. While Harry and the others were nervous, she shared Hagrid's worshipful awe in its presence. She was pleased to see she had been right about the magic in the fire, as the little dragon - who Hagrid named Norbert - behaved almost kittenish with Hagrid. Definately the behavior of a hatchling with its mother. Strangely enough, Norbert was oddly respectful of Jade; she had no idea why.

She took no notice of the issue with Malfoy's discovery of Norbert. She knew Hagrid couldn't keep him. It just put a deadline on the release. She payed more attention to Norbert's development, taking copious notes of her observations. Plainly, dragons were much smarter than most wizards believed. Within the first few days, Norbert had fully recognized not only Hagrid's voice, but the fact that Hagrid was issuing directions to him...and Norbert obeyed them. It quickly became apparent that Norbert had assimilated the entire English language, and only the shape of his throat and jaw prevented him from speaking it as well. Norbert was growing very quickly, however, and he obviously longed to fly.

When the night came to say goodbye, Jade found the exhaustion she thought she'd escaped catching up to her. Earlier that day, she'd gone down and collected a few things of Norbert's discards - spittle, claw shavings, and shed scales. She then could only return to the dorm to sleep.

The next day, she found herself cursing Harry for seven kinds of fool for leaving the invisibility cloak in the Astronomy Tower and getting caught. She didn't actually care about the points lost from Gryffindor. The House Cup had always seemed rather arbitrary to her, with little point to it. There were better ways to encourage each House to work together, the students to obey rules and excel in classes...ones that didn't breed enmity between the houses.

What he'd learned in the forest about Voldemort, however, answered the last piece of the puzzle for Jade. She now had all the answers to what was going on. However, that still left her with only one alternative...she only hoped she was right about who she'd chosen to trust.

After exams, when Professor Dumbledore had left for a summons, Jade went down to the dungeons, carrying her texts.

"And what are you doing down here, Miss Chan?"

She turned to Professor Snape. "Someone is going to go after the Philosopher's Stone today. I don't know who for sure, but I know they want it to ressurect Voldemort. I'm going to stop them."

Professor Snape blinked at her for a time. "I see. You believe you can get past the defenses on the stone? With your magic sense, you might find ways to circumvent them, but..."

She shook her head. "All the defenses were applied by traditional witches and wizards...without a chi wizard among them." At Professor Snape's inward hiss, she pulled up her sleeve. "And then there's this."

Professor Snape stared at the runes etched into Jade's arm. "A Seventh Level Seal? Who put that on you?"

"I did. The first three levels will release at a thought, and the remaining four at a voice command. Before you start talking about how reckless it is, I didn't have a choice." She pulled out her Opal pendant. She winced at its condition. It was already showing cracks, a sign it was at its limit to store magic. "My mystic problems seem to have flip-flopped, from too little to too much."

Professor Snape stared at her for a time. "You seem to have several aces up your sleeve, Jade," he said calmly. "You might just be able to manage it."

"Maybe," Jade said. "But I'd like the deck stacked in my favor, too." She opened Uncle's potion book to the recipe she had in mind. "Which is why I'd like your help brewing a Felix' Draught." 


	10. End of Line

10. End of Line

Harry couldn't help but smile as Dumbledore left the Hospital Wing after managing to eat an earwax flavored bean. He leaned back against his pillows, knowing it would be some time before he could leave the hospital wing...though not so long until Madame Pompfrey would let him have visitors.

"I suppose you think that lets you off the hook with me, do you?"

Harry turned at the sound of Jade's voice, and was quite shocked to see his invisibility cloak slide off of her as she stood next to his bed, glaring down at him in anger. He gulped. He was beginning to see what it was about Jade that had Malfoy so scared of her.

"How could you..." she said quietly. "How could you go off, risking life and limb to do battle with a powerful dark wizard?"

"Jade, I-"

"Don't interrupt!" She glared down at him. "How could you go and do that..." She was no longer able to hold back a smile. "Without me?" She plopped into a seat next to Harry. "I mean, geeze, I admit I was getting ready to head in solo, thinking chi spells and potions would give me an advantage, but all you had going in was your cloak...which you left at the enterance!" She poked him in the shoulder. "Promise me you'll never leave me out of these things again, okay? You know I'm strong enough to handle it, and I won't be having my friends leaving me out of the big adventures any more than I let my family do it back home."

Harry nodded. "I meant for you to come along, but we couldn't find you, and we heard from Peeves that you were with Snape, who we suspected-"

"Speaking of, I think I owe you an 'I told you so' about that," Jade interrupted again. "I'd said all along that it was Quirrel, not Snape. Maybe you'll trust my instincts, if not my skills, in the future." At Harry's silent nod, she then frowned. "And what do you mean, Peeves told you I was with Snape?"

"Peeves was in the third floor corridor when we tried to get in. Since we were under the cloak, I pretended to be the Bloody Baron." Jade smirked at that trick. "Before he went on his way, he turned back and mentioned that the Bloody Baron had asked him to keep track of your movements, and that you were currently with Snape."

Jade sat back, frowning. "Why would the Bloody Baron want to keep track of my movements?" She shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Say," Harry asked suddenly, "how long have you been standing there under my cloak, anyway?"

"I was in here when they first brought you in. I heard Madame Pomfrey say you would wake up today, so I came back when Dumbledore did. I could feel you waking up, to." Jade smiled, then picked up the cloak. "I'll be back later when Ron and Hermoine come to visit you, okay?" She pulled the cloak over herself and vanished.

At that moment, Madame Pomfrey came in. She blinked, seeming confused. "There was someone else in here...wasn't there?"

000000000000000

Jade rode the train back to London with the others happily, glad the school year was finally over. Sure, she had enjoyed every minute, but she was exhausted. Also, she wanted to see her family again. After a whole year away, she missed them. She wondered who would be here to pick her up.

As they got off at the station, Jade spotted something and ran over. Making a quick transaction, she came back over to the others. "Here," she said, shoving a cell phone into each of their hands. "Easier for me than finding an owl."

"Thanks Jade," Harry said happily. "Is your number already in?"

"Mine, Hermoine's, and Ron's. We've all got each other's numbers already."

"What is this?" Ron asked, staring at it in confusion. "How does it work?"

"I'll explain," Hermoine said, rolling her eyes. She took Ron aside to quickly explain how to use it.

After that, Jade waved goodbye to her friends and watched as they left with their families to head home. She then turned, looking around for who would be picking her up.

"Good day, Jade."

Jade turned. "Professor Snape? What are you doing here?"

"Uncle wrote Professor Dumbledore. Apparently, unforseen circumstances prevented anyone from making it to London to pick you up, so he asked someone to see you safely home." Snape smiled softly at her. "I volunteered."

"Oh. Thank you Professor." Jade's mind raced as she tried to figure out what unforseen circumstance it could have been. "So how are we getting there?"

Snape smiled. "Section 13 recently had a connection to the international Floo network established. You've never traveled by Floo powder, have you?" Jade shook her head. "Come on then. We'll start from the Leaky Cauldron." He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"But how will we-" Jade stopped talking as she felt a strange sensation. It felt like she'd turned side on to everything at once and was squeezed through a small crack, and all she could see was black. Then they were in the Leaky Cauldron. She blinked for a time. "That..." she said slowly. "That was side-on Apparition, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Snape said with a smile. "You handled it quite well." He led her over to the fireplace, reaching into a pouch at his waist. "I'll go with you until we meet up with Uncle, if that's alright." He threw a pinch of powder into the fire, and it flared green.

"Thank you, Professor," Jade said happily. She hadn't traveled by Floo Powder, but she'd read about it. She stepped into the fire without hesitation. "Section 13," she said clearly.

The fire flared then faded...but she wasn't sure this was the right place. It looked like Section 13 had been gutted! "What's going on?" she demanded, stepping out of the fire.

"Jade! Get down!" Jackie quickly pulled her behind some rubble.

"Jackie? What's happening? What-" There was a sudden roar, and she looked up. "How's Shendu alive?" she asked quietly.

Tohru quickly filled her in on the details. "The dark wizard Dao Long Wong sought to claim the Talismans...and to prevent him from getting them, Jackie destroyed them. However, that only led to the Talisman powers returning to their original bearers, the animals of the Zodiac...or their heirs. We then had to hunt across the world to try and protect the animals...but in each case, we came too late, and each talisman power Dao Long Wong gained made him more dangerous. At last, he had 11 of the 12, and all that was left was dragon...which tried to return to Shendu. Dao Long Wong ressurected Shendu in an attempt to claim the power from him, but..."

Jackie finished. "Shendu took the Talisman powers from him. Apparently, pulling 11 of the 12 Talisman powers out of Dao Long Wong was more than his human body could take. He dissolved into dust. Uncle's been doing what research he can to find out how to stop Shendu. Luckily for us - or unluckily - Shendu seems determined to take vengeance on us for his prior defeats before reclaiming his empire, and Uncle's protections are holding."

A huge blast of fire struck the green barrier surrounding the group just as Snape steeped out of the fireplace. Uncle collapsed in a dead faint, and the barrier flickered and vanished.

"UNCLE!" Jade cried out. She ran out in front of everyone, levelling her wand...not hearing Professor Snape shout out to her in warning. She cast her most powerful shield charm, casting a protective bubble over all of them. "Release to Level 3," she whispered. The seal on her arm glowed, and rings of magic representing five of the seven levels of seals floated around her arm, released.

Shendu landed in front of her barrier. "There you are, child. I wondered where you had gotten to. You had more of a hand in my earlier defeats than I would have thought possible. I wondered when you would appear." He touched the barrier, and Jade felt her knees buckle as she saw the magic in the barrier draining into Shendu's body. "Oho! Trained as a witch, are you? You would use traditional wizardry against me? You are truely a fool. I shall add your magic to my own, as I did that of the Immortal Animals ages ago!" He plunged both claws into the barrier, and Jade cried out in pain as the magic was ripped from her body as the barrier dissolved.

As Shendu laughed, Jade pushed herself back to her feet, levelling her wand at him once more.

"One last spell you have? Show me youe last remnant of power, child!" Shendu opened his mouth wide, eager to consume whatever Jade might throw at him.

"Negate...Incantato."

The static like mist flew forward in a sphere, straight into Shendu's mouth as he roared in triumph...a roar that cut off in the middle as his eyes went wide. The color drained out of his body, turning him a dull grey. His eyes - frozen in an expression of unimaginable pain - were the last to lose their color. His body then crumbled into dust...leaving behind only a strangely configured crystal that pulsed with the red light of fire.

Jade's eyes went wide. "What...what just happened?" she gasped out.

Serverus rested a hand on her shoulder. "Demon Sorcery absorbs traditional wizardry, feeding on it. Sorcery, wizardry, and chi magic have a relationship to each other not unlike the Muggle game 'Rock-Paper-Scissors'. Any traditionally trained witch or wizard has an advantage against a chi wizard, but a disadvantage against a Sorcerer. That's why he ate your magic...but what was that last spell?"

"It...it's kind of an anti magic spell. I'm still not entirely sure how it works. I only meant to cut him off from his magic for a bit, to give everyone a chance..."

Serverus shook his head. "Demons are creatures of living magic. When you negated his magic like that..."

"...I destroyed his soul." Jade wrapped her arms around herself, shuddering. She had felt in her soul what Shendu had experienced in his last moments. The anti magic spell created a temporary link between caster and the one it was cast on, preventing both from using ordinary magic while active...and through that link, she'd felt the agony of Shendu's last moments. It felt as though her own soul had been torn asunder. Reaching forward, she picked up the gem. "This?"

"That is demon stone," Uncle said, walking forward carefully, sadly. "When demon is truely destroyed, body and soul, crystal is left behind containing essence of what made demon demon. In this case, is essence of what made Shendu Demon Sorcerer. Is source of powerful demon magic. Must be protected."

"I'll do that." Jade held the stone against her chest. "After what I did to Shendu...I owe him that much."

Serverus nodded, the only one who understood what Jade meant, as he was the only one present who had taken a life with his magic.

End Book 1 


	11. Recuperation

11. Recuperation

Jade walked slowly through Diagon Alley towards Gringotts bank. She was alone: she'd convinced Uncle and the others that she could handle herself this time around, and that she'd probably bump into Harry, Ron, or Hermoine while going to get her school stuff. She even implied that she'd had contact with them in that regard. This - all of it - was far from the truth.

In truth, after what had happened at the end of spring, she had trouble facing everyone. She knew what she'd done - destroying Shendu - was neccessarry, was a good thing, somehow...but she couldn't help but feel everyone was looking at her differently. They didn't see a little girl anymore. She wasn't the trouble prone neice who needed rescuing. Jade couldn't help but think they saw a monster...the one she herself saw in the mirror.

When she'd become linked through her magic to Shendu, she had seen him as he saw himself. He didn't see himself as a monster or demon, not the same way she thought of those terms. Shendu thought of himself as a person with a great destiny, seeking to claim what he felt was his right. He wasn't evil by the traditional definition of the term, as many thought demons were. He just didn't see humans as people: they were tools for him to use and discard at need. He did not see himself oweing any more loyalty to them then a worker does his hammer. Seeing him as he'd seen himself, Jade had been shocked to find that, buried deep inside, there had been great good as well.

Shendu had a son. A half demon child by the name of Drago. Shendu, surprisingly enough, loved his son, and even his wife who had born him, in his own way. The memories hadn't given Jade the name of Drago's mother, but there was the impression that she had lived thousands of years ago, when Shendu had ruled China...and that she had been a great beauty. Shendu had been gentle - for him, anyway - with his wife, and considerate...and she had loved him in return. The love he had shown for his son, however, had been somewhat harsher. He had pushed his son to prove himself, driven him...so that one day Drago would be as strong as any demon, and able to make his own terms with the rest of his immortal family. ...Shendu's magic had had a connection within it to Drago, and Jade had felt a pulse of her antimagic flow down that tie. She had no idea what came of that.

With all of this flowing through her head, she hadn't been able to bring herself to answer any letters from Ron or Hermoine, or even call any of her friends. She managed to get all her schoolwork done, but somehow being with her family wasn't as soothing and joyful as she had hoped it would be. None of them knew how to be there for her, and her emotions - never exactly under control - had become dangerous, as they sometimes triggered reactions from the Demon Fire Crystal she now wore in place of her broken black opal. The opal had shattered when Shendu had consumed her shield charm.

Approaching Gringotts, Jade was rather surprised to see Hermoine there. She smiled as her friend waved her over, and she walked up to meet her. "Hey Hermoine. What brings you here?"

Hermoine smiled. "My parents are exchanging some money so that I can get some school supplies. What about you? And why haven't you answered any of my letters or called?" Hermoine paused, looking closely at Jade's eyes. "Are you alright? You seem...sad."

Jade shook herself off, forcing a smile onto her face. "It's nothing, Hermoine. Just...things got complicated back home. Sorry I didn't write or call...didn't want to burden any of you with it." She glanced up at Gringotts. "I'm actually here to get some money out of my account for school supplies."

Hermoine goggled at her. "You have an account? How'd you make so much wizard money you needed an account?"

Jade flushed. "Several magical novelty stores showed interest in my lore spheres...and are selling them for me. Not sure how much I've made, but I've got my key. Guess I'll find out today."

Hermoine nodded. "I can see why they'd sell well. Those were quite impressive. Did you come up with any other craftings like that?"

Jade grinned. "I'll show you some when we get to Hogwarts."

Hermoine grinned. "So where are you staying till term starts?"

"I'm gonna rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron. Easy enough to get to King's Cross by Floo Powder, after all." Jade looked up. "Hey, it's Harry! ...what happened to him?"

As Harry and the Weasley's approached, Jade heard stories of how summer had gone for them. She felt guilty she hadn't even remembered to send Harry a birthday present...not that it would have reached with a House elf blocking his mail. On the way into Gringotts, both Harry and Ron noticed the same thing Hermoine had, but Jade said the same thing about not wanting to burden them. For some reason, that led Mr. Weasley to look rather closely at her, but she shrugged it off.

As they went to their accounts, Jade couldn't help but wince at how small the Weasley's savings were...and nearly gasped aloud at how huge Harry's inheritance was. When she came to her vault, she wasn't sure what she expected...but it wasn't what she found.

After a time of everyone staring, Hermoine finally cleared her throat and said, "Sales have been good, then?"

"Must be," Jade whispered. It wasn't as big as Harry's inheritance, but for three months of sales it was huge. Certainly more than the Weasley's had had in their entire account. "Then again," Jade managed to say, "they are selling at four Galleons a piece, and I get half of that for each sale."

Fred and George both whistled appreciatively, and began speculating about the possibilities of making some spending money through similar crafting projects more to their skill sets.

After Jade loaded the amount she thought she would need for the year - not even a quarter of what was in there, and the goblin assured her that any further deposits to her account would continue to be credited - they left to go shopping, agreeing to meet up at Flourish and Blotts for school books later. Although she tried to engage with her friends, she found herself still weighed down by guilt, and often just remained quiet.

When they got to Flourish and Blotts, Jade couldn't help but sneer at the sign announcing Gilderoy Lockhart. She'd thumbed through a few of his books at a magic library back in San Fransisco (amazing what you could find if you knew how to look) and had found his work to be self agrandizing, overdone, and hardly believable. In a word...Rank.

When Lockhart made his scene with Harry regarding being a teacher at Hogwarts, Jade had heard enough. It was all she could do not to explode. How could she learn anything from such a...jumped up, twaddle brained, empty headed, fancy pantsed nerf herder! She could feel from here that his magic was abysmally weak. He probably couldn't even tame a pixie, let alone the things he claimed to do in his books. Well, she certainly wasn't going to waste her money feeding this corporate jackass, required book list or no.

Glancing down at her list, she saw she'd already gotten everything else she would need back in San Fran, so she decided not to stay in the store with such a...egomaniacal moron a second longer than she had to. She stormed out and waited for everyone else to catch up.

When they all joined her, she was surprised that there had been a fight between Mr. Weasley and Lucius Malfoy, and a little upset she'd missed it. Although it was all she could do to hide her sneer at how Hermoine was going on about Lockhart. She'd thought Hermoine was smart, couldn't she see through that obvious phony?

She said goodbye to Hermoine and her folks as they headed out the street enterance of the Leaky Cauldron. She then turned to say goodbye to the others, only to discover they were leaving by Floo Powder. She sat back in a chair, watching them go, waving as they did so.

Before they were all gone, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up into Mr. Weasley's face. "I've seen that look," he said, his eyes locked on hers. "I'd only ever seen it before on Aurors, after they've been forced to kill a Dark Wizard who would not be brought in. The shadows in your eyes, the haunted look, as though you were ridden by a hungry ghost...I can't begin to understand what could cause you to have that look in your eyes so young, but I know one thing. The worst thing for you right now is to be alone. Come on, we can find room for you at the Burrow."

Jade blinked up at him. "But...I don't want to be a burden-"

"Nonsense," he interrupted. "You're a friend of the family, and it would truely shame the name of wizard, as Lucius claimed I did, if I were to turn my back on a friend in need."

Jade stared up at him for a time...then threw herself into his welcoming arms, the dam that had held the pain back for so long finally broken, and the healing flood of tears she'd been afraid to face cascading from her eyes into his shirt.

As he picked her up, she heard him direct Fred and George to go get her things. He held her there for a while until her tears began to subside. The last thing she felt before she drifted into blissfully dreamless sleep was the warmth of magical fire as Mr. Weasley carried her through the fire. 


	12. The Second Fall

12. The Second Fall

Jade bunked with Ginny while staying at the Burrow. While it was only for a couple of days, it did her good. At first, the Weasley's - with the exception of Ron - were confused as to why Mr. Weasley had invited her to stay, especially since he had very firmly put his foot down on the matter when Mrs. Weasley had tried to ask why. For some reason, this had left Mrs. Weasley in an unnacountably good mood the following morning, and left Mr. Weasley with a goofy grin on his face right at first.

It didn't take long for the Weasley's to see Mr. Weasley was serious, though, as any questioning stares directed towards Jade at the table were immediately met with his stern glare. Fred and George were the first to catch the idea of what Mr. Weasley was after, and began to tell Jade humorous stories of their antics and adventures at Hogwarts and elsewhere...with varying degrees of exagerration. While several of the stories brought anything from laughter to groans from most of the listeners, the best Jade was able to manage was a small smile...which only pushed Fred and George to further antics in their tales. When Percy would have called them on it, Mr. Weasley shocked the entire table by shushing him. It took a few moments for the twins to get back in the swing, as they needed to pick up their fallen lower jaws.

Jade found bunking with Ginny to be...interesting, to say the least. Although barely able to speak in Harry's presence, she waxed eloquent in his praises when she was alone with Jade. Jade found it somewhat annoying, but not nearly as much as the same behaviour in Hermoine about Gilderoy Lockhart. She thought about that for a time, and decided it must be because of how different the people in question were. While Lockhart would greedily lap up such praises, Jade knew Harry would have found it quite embarrasing.

All in all, staying with the Weasley's was good for Jade for the few days she was there. Had she realized how much it would help, she would have come to stay with them much sooner. She was actually sorry to say goodbye when it came time to go catch the Hogwarts Express...which is why she was secretly glad their departure became so rushed that she didn't get the chance to...although she became quite shocked when Harry and Ron didn't make it onto the train in time.

Once at the school, she barely listened to any lectures or announcements, finding herself pacing back and forth once she got to the common room of Gryffindor Tower, until they finally made their appearance. She had heard about how they had gotten to school, though wondered why they had had to fly the car...especially when Harry had a broomstick, and an owl. Not that she could blame them, it made her wish halfheartedly that the barrier had locked her out, too...at least until she saw what had happened to Ron's wand.

Then classes began.

0000000000000

Herbology went off without a hitch, as Jade had always been a fair hand at it. Although the Mandrakes Jade pulled out cried as much as anyone's right at first, Professor Sprout was surprised to see that all it took was one look in Jade's eyes to silence them instantly. Her repotting went quite swimmingly from there. She shared her tray with Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, though they kept sneaking concerned glances her way every now and again. Professor Sprout herself was quite surprised as well. The girl who had been sunny enough the previous term the Professor half expected her plants to turn towards her instead of the greenhouse windows loked like a pale shadow when quiet...or a sparking thunderhead when irritated.

In Transfiguration, Jade managed to turn her beetles into buttons rather easily. For once, her experience with the monkey talisman proved useful, as her magic wanted to change things into animals and back. All she had to do was convince herself that the beetles used to be buttons and the spell worked easily.

While the friends were wating for Defense Against the Dark Arts class to begin, Hermoine noticed something about Jade that was...unnerving. When Colin Creevey had asked Harry to sign the photograph and Malfoy had come up to start being his usual aggravating self, Jade seemed to not be paying attention. However, the temperature in the surrounding area cooled noticeably, to the point that several of the Slytherins pulled their cloaks tighter without seeming to think about it. Sitting next to Jade as she was, however, Hermoine felt a surge of heat, as though she were sitting next to a roaring fire.

In Defense Against the Dark Arts, when Jade was handed the 'test' to see how well they had absorbed the assigned reading material, she couldn't keep the contemptuous sneer off her face. Ignoring all the questions, she flipped the test over and proceeded to write a letter on the back.

'"Professor" Gilderoy Lockhart,  
'I admit that I have not read any of your books, as I found them to have no bearing whatsoever on my continued education as a witch, and your assignment of them as required reading to be nothing short of grandstanding in the extreme. While it is all very well to prance like a peacock when it is earned, you are here as a teacher, and the only qualifications of yours that should have any bearing in the classroom are your teaching credentials...which I note go unmentioned.  
'I must admit, I had no idea Hogwarts was so desperate for Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers that they would hire an obvious no talent hack such as yourself to teach one of the most important classes in the school. Could it be that none of Professor Sprouts radishes applied for the post? Or did they forget that Hogwarts was hiring? Or perhaps the pixies in that cage by your desk might teach us instead, as they probably know more of magical teaching then you do.  
'However, I refuse to remain in a class where I know more of the subject matter at hand than the teacher. I hope to be making arrangements with Professor McGonagall or Headmaster Dumbledore regarding my further DatDA studies.  
'With luck your very temporary student,  
'Jade Chan.'

When the tests were handed in, Gilderoy Lockhart made his announcment of his dissapointment in most of the students...except Hermoine, who earned points. When he got to Jade's letter, he stared at it for quite some time, his mouth moving silently. Jade amused herself by pretending it was because he had to struggle over some of the words, such as 'credentials' or 'qualifications.' The second one DID have five syllables, after all. He eventually set it aside without comment.

When he released the cornish pixies on the class, Jade sat back, rather bored. For some reason, none of the Pixies dared to come anywhere near her. When Lockhart's attempt to tame the pixies failed miserably, Jade acted. She pointed her wand at the nearest pixie and focused her magic.

WIthin moments, miniature inverted shield charms surrounded all the pixies. This was the same magic she had used to contain Neville's misbrewed potion during her first Potions Class, but spread and more focused to capture each pixie individually. Gathering them together, she combined it into a single sphere that held all the pixies, then glowered at them before opening the side pointed towards the cage. The pixies took one look at her face and fled the sphere into the cage, the last one slamming the door and locking it.

When the class ended, Professor Lockhart picked up Jade's letter and told her to come with him. He led her to a large and extremely ugly stone gargoyle, which Jade could sense was similarly enchanted to the Fat Lady portrait, which told her this was an entrance of some sort.

"Lemon Drop," Lockhart said, and the gargoyle hopped out of the way as the doorway opened. Lockhart pulled Jade upwards into what she could tell was the Headmaster's office...not just because Dumbledore sat behind the desk talking to Professor Snape, but because the ever present pulse of the castle's magic beat so strongly she was surprised she was the only one who could feel it.

"Headmaster, I must protest!" Lockhart began, dragging Jade into the office. "Occasional misbehavior I can handle, but such flagrant disrespect...I hope I'm not interrupting anything important, Serverus," he added, noticing Professor Snape's frosty expression.

On noticing Jade, though, Snape smiled, not unlike Ruby did just before capturing a rather plump and juicy mouse. "Not at all, Gilderoy. I believe this may be pertinent to the matter under discussion. Continue."

Gilderoy attempted to begin several times, but was apparently at a loss for words. "Here!" he said finally, thrusting the paper at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore took the letter and read it, his eyes twinkling, first with interest, and then with suppresed mirth. "What do you make of it, Serverus?" he said at last, handing the letter to him. "Does this warrent punishment, would you say?"

Serverus looked through the letter, holding it up to hide the wide grin that crossed his features twice. "Well, most of it is obvious hyperbole, and the rest...well, that depends on what happened with the pixies. The only claim that you can really take issue with here, Gilderoy, is her claim to know more regarding the Defense Against the Dark Arts then you. If you claim this as insult...then perhaps you should prove it false?"

"Really, Serverus," Dumbledore said, msichef in his eyes. "Are you really suggesting he duel one of his students?"

"Why not?" Snape replied. "Miss Chan certainly seems to think herself capable of defeating him, and if she is she shouldn't be in his class. If not, the humiliation will surely be punishment enough."

"Very well," Dumbledore replied, turning to a now nervously grinning Gilderoy and a serious faced Jade. "There's room enough here. Whenever you two are ready."

Gilderoy strode to one end of the room as Jade calmly walked to the other. They bowed to each other. "Whenever you are ready," Dumbledore said. They both raised their wands.

"Obliviate!" Gilderoy shouted.

"Yao huo shou, Ifrit!" Jade shouted in reply.

Gilderoy's memory charm bounced off the magic circle that appeared around Jade as fiendfyre poured forth from her wand, shaping into a creature of fire with two great arms, curled horns, glowing eyes, and a flame tail that trailed to the tip of her wand. As Gilderoy attempted to raise a defense, the creature shot forward, seized Gilderoy around the neck - he only had a moment to notice the fire didn't burn him - and slammed him against the far wall, pulling its other hand back in a fist, ready to begin slamming him physically.

"Enough," Dumbledore said, and the creature froze. "I believe you have made your point, Jade."

Jade nodded. "Jiegu." The flame creature dispersed, vanishing. Gilderoy fell on his posterior. Jade lowered her wand as the circle vanished. Gilderoy struggled to his feet.

"What...what magic was that?" he asked, his face pale.

"A rather powerful conjuring spell," Snape said quietly. "She used a magical focus and her wand to craft a circle of protection, allowing her to summon a rather powerful elemental. Most impressive."

"Quite," Dumbledore said quielty. "Very well, Jade will not be in your class any longer, Professor Lockhart. She will be using the scheduled hour to complete her assignments. During the hour between the end of classes and supper, she will report to the Potions classroom, where Professor Snape has volunteered to give her private lessons to advance her knowledge of Defense Against the Dark Arts." At his nod, both Lockhart and Snape left. "A moment, Jade," he continued when Jade would have left as well. "I have a question for you, before you go."

Jade nodded. "Yes, Headmaster?" she asked, somewhat nervous.

Dumbledore stared at her for a while...then smiled. "Do you mind if I keep this?" he asked, holding up her 'letter'.

Jade smiled. "Not at all, Professor!"

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At first, Harry and Ron had been excited to hear that Jade had gotten out of taking Lockhart's class, and eager for the same. When they learned it meant extra lessons with Professor Snape, however, their enthusiasm cooled noticeably. Jade found that she was slowly drifting away from her friends, and she didn't like it. As such, she began to throw herself into the activities they did together. As such, when Harry's first Quidditch practice was announced, she made sure to be there.

Needless to say, she was quite displeased to have it interrupted by the Slytherin team, and even more upset to see that Malfoy had bought his way onto the house team, just to continue his rivalry with Harry. However, she knew her temper tended to be dangerous recently - she had barely been able to control it when Malfoy had made his disparaging remarks about the autographed photo - so she held herself back. That was lucky for Malfoy, as she wasn't near enough to act on her temper when he called Hermoine a Mudblood. While she didn't recognize the name, she recognized the tone of voice well enough. She'd heard it enough when she first came to America, though the word used then had been 'chink'. The reactions of those around him merely confirmed her suspicions, and she began to stalk forward, her hand clutching her wand, flames in her mind and fury in her heart. It was only Ron's wand backfiring that kept her from taking off several key pieces of Malfoy's anatomy that he would sorely miss, making him a falsetto for life, among other things. Her concern for Ron blotted out her rage, although Malfoy's laughter at Ron's predicament reignited it.

...no one could explain how a small gout of Fiendfyre had sprung out of nowhere, managed to devour the entirety of Malfoy's wardrobe, leaving his skin, wand, and broomstick completely untouched before dissapearing, leaving no trace of the casting.

Jade was glad to see Hagrid and Fang again, even if it was under such thankless conditions. As Hagrid made tea and tended to Ron, they were all entertained as Ruby proceeded to boss Fang around with hisses and the occasional swipe of a paw. The fact that Fang obeyed, completely cowed, despite the fact that Ruby was less than a third his size, startled a laugh from everyone, even Jade. Jade was also glad to learn that Hagrid shared her opinion of Professor Lockhart...although rather embarrassed to learn Dumbledore had let him read the letter. She couldn't help but blush as Hagrid laughed as he described Lockhart's face when he'd recited parts of it at him, especially when Hagrid had suggested letting the kelpies in the well apply for the post. She wasn't surprised in the least to hear what Hagrid had to say about what Malfoy had called Hermoine, or his opinion of it...although she wished he didn't laugh so hard at what had happened to Malfoy's clothes.

Finally, as that day wore to a close, Jade headed off to her extra lessons with Professor Snape. While she was supposed to have this lesson before supper, Snape had had a harder time rearranging his schedule than he had anticipated, and the first lesson would begin after supper, while Harry and Ron were serving their detentions. While they were groaning in despair at what would come of this night, she was looking forward to her lessons.

Arriving at the Potions classroom, she was greeted by Snape's smile. She wasn't sure why her friends insisted on seeing him as cold. "Ah, Miss Chan. Right on time. This lesson will be at the discussed hour on Monday...and given the late hour, I thought today we would go over what you have learned that is outside standard curriculum and see where we can go from there."

Jade nodded. "Okay, Professor." She set down her schoolbooks, Potions kit, crafting kit, and notes at one of the desks before sitting down. "Where should I start?"

"Perhaps with the conjuring you used in your...duel...with Professor Lockhart? It was quite powerful, and I'm rather certain the creature was composed of Fiendfyre. Where did you learn to exert such control over Dark Magic as powerful as that?"

Without hesitation, Jade pulled out the Demon Fire Crystal. It glowed brightly in the dimly lit dungeon classroom. "I focused my magic through this to conjure the creature, Professor. The circle of protection seems to be drawn from my mind in the process, and I use one of the most powerful ones from Uncle's texts that I've seen. ...although I don't think it's truely neccessarry." She paused, watching the stone. "It seems the creature is bound to the will of the crystal...and at the moment, the crystal seems attuned to my magic. It responds to my mood...although I have to control my emotions, as not all the responses are willing or welcome." She grinned. "It has increased my instances of accidental magic, that's for sure."

Professor Snape nodded. "I see. Still, be careful with that spell, and any other that utilizes that crystal. It is incredibly powerful Dark Magic."

Jade nodded. "I'll be careful."

Looking her in the eye, Professor Snape nodded. "See that you do. Now, onto other matters..."

They continued to discuss for the full hour, determining Jade's skill level and the best way to approach her teaching. By the end of the hour, they had a lesson plan worked out for the year, and Jade was yawning.

"It's getting late, Miss Chan. You should get to bed."

"Yes, Professor." Jade stood up and gathered her things. She paused a moment as a memory struck her. "Professor, can I...ask you a personal question?"

Snape gazed at her for a time. "You may ask."

Jade swallowed nervously, unsure if she was ready for the answer. "Who was Lily?"

Snape visibly flinched. "Why do you ask?"

Jade looked away. "Just...something I heard you say as I left the classroom first Potions class last year. I was wondering who she was, since I apparently remind you of her."

As she was looking away, she didn't see the pained look cross his face, but she heard the pain in his voice. "She...was Mr. Potter's mother."

Jade winced, several things coming together in her mind. "I...I'm sorry, Proffessor."

"...get to bed, Miss Chan."

"Yes sir." Gathering her school things, she fled the dungeon, lost in unwelcome thoughts. 


	13. Haunted

13. Haunted

As Halloween approached, Jade was slowly beginning to recover towards her old self, as a smile more frequently touched her lips. She found she did better if she carried Ruby with her everywhere, as her quiet purr often did quite a bit towards dispelling Jade's dark moods. Classes were going quite well, as she continued to show marked improvement in all of her subjects - including Defense Against the Dark Arts, where Professor Snape was particularly pleased with her progress, as she seemed to be outstripping his projected study plan by a large margin. He had actually on occassion instead allowed her to work on her own projects during their scheduled study time, as long as she had her assignments completed.

"After all," he had said when he first announced this, "if you continue to progress as much as you are now, I might have to give you your O.W.L. come spring, instead of an exam." He smiled, to show he was exaggerating...although he wouldn't state to what degree. "It is dangerous to acquire knowledge too fast, Miss Chan," he had said afterwards. "Best to take it slowly."

Her most recent project was something she probably wouldn't be doing more than once, as she hadn't anticipated the complexity of the magic she'd be working with. It was one thing to get the right grade of materials...quite another to get them to work together as she needed them to. Thankfully, she was beginning to make progress, and she figured she would have it ready in time for Christmas.

She regretted that she wouldn't be able to accompany Harry and the others to Sir Nicholas's Deathday Party, as it sounded quite fascinating and enjoyable. However, her acceleerated metabolism had yet to slow down, and for her health she needed to attend the feast. She did, however, exchange promises with Harry and the others to tell all about each event.

However, in the middle of the Halloween feast, Jade felt a cold chill within her magic, and was overcome with a feeling of dread. Excusing herself from table, she rushed out, following the sensation. At first, she wasn't sure why she was rushing towards what she was certain would be grave danger...but wound up smiling as she realized it was a sure sign she was returning to her old self.

Her smile didn't last long. As she turned the corner into the corridor that led to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, she froze. "Mrs. Norris!" she cried in shock, rushing forward to take the cat off the torch bracket she was hanging by. The cat's body was completely unmoving and cold, although Jade could feel her life force still beat within her, although very weak. As she held her gently, she heard Ruby yowling loud enough to wake the dead, trying to draw her attention. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione rounded the corner at a dead run - she assumed drawn by Ruby's caterwauling - she finally saw the message on the wall.

"THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.  
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE."

As Harry, Ron and Hermione approached, Jade stared at the message, trying to make sense of it. Within moments, she heard the rapid approach of many running feet as a large number of other students approached. Turning away, she continued to try and wake Mrs. Norris, or at least get some response from her. A familiar voice distracted her momentarily.

"Enemies of the heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

Jade chose to ignore Malfoy this time, but apparently Ruby took offense. Snarling in fury, she hissed at Malfoy...who fell over backwards in the form of a domestic Abyssinian, mewling in shock.

Shortly thereafter, Argus Filch arrived, demanding answers...but froze at the sight of Jade's tearstained face as she cradled Mrs. Norris. "My cat..." he whispered, his voice sounding broken. "What...what happened to my cat?"

She looked up at him. "I found her like this...I...I can't fix it..."

Before long, Professor Dumbledore had escorted them all to Gilderoy Lockharts office, along with Professors McGonagall and Snape. As Dumbledore examined Mrs. Norris's body, Lockhart began to make his meaningless suggestions, prancing around. His portraits nodded in agreement with him.

Through the haze of her fear and worry over Mrs. Norris - she ignored the idea she was dead, as she could sense otherwise - Jade's temper began to stir. Mrs. Norris was lying - not dead, but magically near so - and all Lockhart thought to do was make it worse by grandstanding? The temperature of the room dropped to the point where breath steamed in the air, and around Jade it rose to near boiling. A strange wind, caused by the magical temperature imbalance in the confined space, began to stir, whistling hungrily.

"Jade!" Professor Snape suddenly snapped. "Control yourself."

Jade blinked as she came out of her temper. The room temperature slowly returned to normal as Snape turned to Lockhart. "You are interrupting the Headmaster's concentration. Be silent."

While Lockhart himself bristled at the comment, his portraits seemed to have more sense. They were all hiding in the frames, peeking out of them in fear, staring wide eyed at Jade. Somehow, the idea that Lockhart's photographs were smarter than he was managed to ease Jade's emotional turmoil the rest of the way. *I guess in his case, the camera adds 10 IQ points,* she thought sardonically.

Upon Dumbledore's announcment that Mrs. Norris had been Petrified, Jade relaxed. She had read up on several magical ailments in her Potions studies, and Petrification - while serious - was easily treated with a Mandrake draught, and Jade remembered repotting Mandrakes the first day of Herbology. It was only a matter of time, then, until Mrs. Norris would be back on her feet. Jade was rather touched to see that Ruby had gone to offer comfort to Mr. Filch, sitting in his lap and rubbing her head against his hand, purring comfortingly.

When Jade was questioned, she answered readily enough. "I was at the Halloween feast when I sensed...something evil." She shrugged her shoulders. "That's the best I can explain it. Soon as I did, I went running to see what the source was."

"Let me get something clear," Professor McGonagall interrupted. "You sense evil within the castle, and your first reaction...is to run towards it?" At Jade's helpless shrug, McGonagall put her hand over her face. "And here I thought Uncle had been exaggerating," she muttered under her breath. Aloud, she said, "Continue, please."

Jade nodded. "By the time I reached the hallway, the sensation was gone. When I saw Mrs. Norris hanging there, I ran forward to try and help her. I...wasn't able to do anything for her. I couldn't tell what was wrong, although I could feel she wasn't dead."

Of the teachers, only Lockhart seemed confused by her explanation, but apparently he was willing to be silent on the matter. Professor Snape then spoke up. "And what of Potter and the others?" He turned to Harry. "What brought you there?"

Harry spoke up. "We were at Sir Nicholas's Deathday Party. We'd just left there, when I...heard Ruby kicking up a racket." Jade lifted her head. She didn't know if Snape had noticed the pause, but she had. She'd have to ask Harry about it later. "We came running," he continued, "because Ruby's never made that much noise before, and I thought Jade might have been hurt."

For some reason, this explanation seemed to cool Snape's hostility, if not his suspicion. Professor McGonagall continued questioning. "And when you got there?"

Ron spoke up. "Well, we saw Jade cradling Mrs. Norris, and that message on the wall. Then other students showed up, and Malfoy made a comment about the Mudbloods being next. Then Ruby turned him into a cat."

This had all the teachers turning back to Jade, although McGonagall and Dumbledore were hiding grins, and Filch snorted. "How does Ruby have this power, Jade?" Dumbledore asked. "I've never heard of a LIVING magical cat who could turn others into cats."

Taking the cue from his words, she realized what it was. "I found her in Tangeirs, in the temple that was the last resting place of the Cat of Khartoum. It might have something to do with that."

McGonagall sighed, rolling her eyes. "Are there any OTHER dangerous magical artifacts you've encountered that we should be aware of?"

Jade put her hand briefly to the crystal at her neck, but shook her head. The students were then dismissed.

When they were halfway to the common room, Jade turned to Harry. "It wasn't Ruby that led you to me, was it? Why'd you hesitate?"

Harry hesitated before answering. "I didn't think it was a good idea to tell them I followed a disembodied voice only I could hear."

Hermoine nodded. "Even in the wizarding world, that's rarely a good sign."

Jade nodded. "Fair enough, I suppose." She sighed sadly. "Poor Filch. I hope he'll be okay."

00000000000

Jade began to coast through her classes. Although she applied herself enough to get top scores on each assignment, she found herself lacking proper motivation to shine. The only exceptions were Potions and her private DAtDA classes, where Snape began to give her gentle encouragment. He began to show a warm, nurturing side that few in the school would believe him capable of. Jade often found herself discussing things completely unrelated to academics with Professor Snape, and before long, she had learned the whole story behind him and Harry's parents.

After a few days thinking about it, she found herself coming right to the point. "That's why you hate Harry, isn't it?"

Snape thought for a time, then shook his head. "It's not Mr. Potter I hate. It's the part of him that is his father all over again that I disdain."

"But there's a good portion of his mother, too...isn't there?"

"...I have yet to see it."

Jade was quiet. When she spoke again, there was barely anything to her voice. "Is that why you became one of Voldemort's followers?"

Snape flinched. "What would ever give you the idea-"

Jade held out her arm, touching a spot on it...exactly where the Death Eater Mark was invisible on Snape's own arm. "I know the sensation of Voldemort's magic. It's dormant, but there's a small, concentrated amount emanating from your body right here." When Snape remained silent, Jade continued. "But Professor Dumbledore trusts you...which means you changed sides. Probably when you learned the Potters - specifically, Lily and her son - were on Voldemort's hit list." She noticed Snape looked shaken. "I won't speak of this with anyone else, Professor. I don't spill others secrets."

At long last Snape nodded. "I admit, my...issues with James were part of what led me to join with the Dark Lord, although not the entirety. I was...so inclined for quite some time. However, for the rest, you've got it all right."

They were both silent for a time. Then Jade spoke again. "You know, Professor, just because Harry is a great deal like his father, doesn't mean that your relationship with him has to be the same as it was with his father. I mean, they say living well is the best revenge, right?"

Snape stared at her for a time. When he spoke, it was calmly. "You are quite young to be speaking of such matters, and I suspect your friendship with Mr. Potter may be coloring your judgement...much as my hatred of his father is coloring mine. However, I will take your words under advisement." He glanced at the clock. "You'd best be going. It's getting late."

"Thank you, Professor." Jade left quietly.

Snape stared at the wall of his Potions classroom for quite some time. At long last, he simply shook his head. "Out of the mouths of babes," he muttered under his breath, before turning to go.

00000000000

While Jade heard the story of the Chamber of Secrets, she felt that she was missing a rather key fact. Something was missing, and she couldn't seem to put her finger on it, and it was rather hard to focus on it through her worries and...other thoughts. However, when Jade brought up using the Polyjuice Potion to try and get answers out of Malfoy - when they came to the conclusion it was him - Jade immediately vetoed it. "I've got a better way to get the information without putting any of us at risk," she said firmly.

Hermoine looked up at her. "Really? What?"

Jade smiled. "One of my crafting projects," she said mysteriously. "I'll show you in the common room tonight."

When they gathered that night, Jade spoke. "Now, this was...kind of accidental. See, I was experimenting, trying to find a way that an electronic device - like a cell phone or music player - could work in a high magic environment. While that I haven't quite perfected, a side line of that research led to this. Now, I'm not sure, but it probably breaks quite a few rules - and not just school rules - so not a word to anyone, alright?" When they all nodded, Jade pulled out a box and opened it. "Time to wake up, Deikbeck," she said quietly.

Inside the box, a metallic surface glowed with light from three runes, and a small device climbed out. It resembled an overlarge mechanical spider, but the main body was quite compact, and it had all sorts of strange gizmos both on and in its body. It looked around at all of them, and a small screen on front displayed, ":D".

"I recognized those runes," Hermoine spoke up. "They were Hebrew letters. Aleph...Mem...and Tav, if I'm not mistaken."

Jade nodded. "That's right. Spelling 'Emet,' Truth. I thought enchanting one of Section 13's remote control spybots to turn it into a golem without adding anything else would create a spybot that would function normally in a magical environment." She grimaced. "I forgot about this model's rough terrain program, which was nearly an AI."

The screen displayed, "XD".

Jade shrugged helplessly. "So now, I've got a fully autonomous mecha golem built for espionage."

Hermoine stared. "Wow. This is amazing. ...I don't even want to think about the number of rules and laws it breaks, though."

Ron and Harry nodded in agreement. "But how is it going to get answers out of Malfoy?" Ron asked. "I think he'd notice if this thing was following him, and it doesn't seem to be able to show much on that tiny screen."

The screen displayed ";P", and the top flipped open, revealing one of Jade's lore spheres. It then flipped shut, and two of the devices on its outside began to whir. Deikbeck vanished.

"Where'd he go?" Harry asked in shock.

There was a five note whistling sound, and Deikbeck reappeared.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked. "Blues?"

Jade shrugged. "Don't diss the whistle," she said simply. She then conjured an image of Malfoy in the air in front of Deikbeck. "Follow this guy. Record everything that he says or does. Report any mention of the Chamber of Secrets..." She pulled out another loresphere. "Transmit to this anything conclusive on the Chamber's location, contents, or mechansim. Can you do that?"

The screen displayed, "NP!" and Deikneck vanished, heading off to his work.

"Now all we can do is wait," Harry said quietly.

"And hope," Hermione replied.

00000000000

Although Jade was present at Harry's Quidditch game, she was unable to do anything about the rogue bludger, as she wasn't able to determine the nature of the magic that had altered it. She also was unable to make it to Harry's side in time to prevent Lockhart's flubbed spell that left him without bones in his arm. As Harry was taken to the Hospital Wing, Jade commented to Ruby, "Why not turn HIM into a cat?" meaning Lockhart.

Ruby paid no notice to the comment, calmly washing her paw.

When Harry met up with them all the next day to report what he'd learned from Dobby, Jade got a bit thoughtful. It sounded as though whoever Dobby worked for was behind these attacks, and Dobby was trying to get out whatever warnng he could. The frustrating thing about it was that Deikbeck had already transmitted several reports back, and it seemed Malfoy knew nothing about the Chamber of Secrets...although some of what Deikbeck had transmitted was of interest to Ron, as he immediately wrote to his Dad regarding the secret chamber under the Malfoy's drawing room floor.

Jade declined to attend the Dueling Club Lockhart was starting at first, until Snaoe mentioned in one of her private lessons that he would be helping with the instruction. Seeing Snape humiliate Lockhart would be worth an hour of her time. Besides, she might actually learn a few things of interest from Snape.

While the Disarming Charm proved of interest...Jade was quite shocked to hear Hary speak the language of serpents. When Hermoine mentioned that it was a quality of Salazar Slytherin - being a Parslemouth - Jade felt she'd found the missing piece of a puzzle...but couldn't for the life of her remember where it went.

News of yet another attack before the end of term put Jade even more out of sorts, as she was more certain than ever that there was something she should know, if only she could put her finger on it. However, she did have something to brighten the gloom, as she finally finished her crafting projects, making presents for her three closest friends. For Harry, she'd crafted a mystic attatchment for his glasses, which would record anything he saw to a loresphere as long as he was carrying one. For Hermione, she crafted a mystic puzzle box that would change its solution every time someone made an attempt to solve it. For Ron...she crafted something extra special that he truely needed.

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Harry was shocked awake on Christmas morning by Ron's surprised bellow and gasp. When he sat up, he saw Ron holding a wand, very different from the wands Harry had seen in Ollivander's shop. "Someone got you a new wand for Christmas?" Harry asked happily.

"Not just any wand, Harry," Ron breathed, his face and voice filled with awe. "Most wand shops make numerous general wands of single wood and core matches, and you get the one that best matches your magic. But a few - very few - wand shops will also make special wands customized specifically to a wizard's magic. They're very rare, and pricey, since a well made custom wand will grow in power relative to the wizard or witch using it. A good one will run upwards of 50 Galleons in price!"

Harry whistled. "How can you tell it's custom?"

"See here!" He pointed to where the coloration of the wood blended towards a different shade in a spiral up its length. "This effect comes from layering carefully carved pieces of different kinds of wood, and then using magic to make them grow into each other so there's no seam."

"Wow!" Harry was impressed. "Who's it from? Is there a card?"

Ron fished in the box...and nearly dropped the wand. "It's from Jade! She says...she says she used willow, cypress, redwood, and holly to make the shape of the wand, and the core is a mix of unicorn hair and powdered werewolf fang!" Getting up, he raced down the stairs.

In the common room, Jade was shocked when Ron cannoned into her, hugging her tightly, spouting unintelligible thank yous. Jade couldn't help but grin. When he calmed down, she worked her way out of his embrace and said, "If it needs adjustments, I can tweak it a little bit. And I layed some powerful durability charms on it, since it's you we're talking about."

As Ron was torn between further joy at the gift and irritation that she seemed to think him clumsy, Fred and George managed to pounce him with congratulations while Hermione started pelting Jade with questions regarding the crafting. All in all, Christmas that year was a happy time for Jade at Hogwarts.

000000000000

Once term started again, it seemed to be back to the grindstone. Jade found herself with few moments to smile, as once again she was assailed by the certainty that there was something she ought to know, and couldn't put her finger on it. She walked the halls with a haunted look, as she struggled with these notions, trying to figure out what she was missing. Everyone locking on Harry as the Heir of Slytherin just made her even more irritable. To top it off, she could have sworn she was sensing Voldemort's magic in the castle, but she couldn't place it.

Needless to say, despite the cessation of attacks, she found Lockhart's Valentine's Day fiasco a little out of taste. The dwarves didn't really fit the part of cupids, and the excess of pink was rather noxious. And then when one of the dwarves practically bullrushed Harry in the hallway to sing a poem at him, Jade found herself - surprisingly - hoping she got no Valentines messages this year.

However, she didn't get her wish, as once the dwarf finished singing to Harry, he tromped over to Jade. "Jade Chan?" he asked. "Got one for you as well."

Jade winced, deciding not to try and flee. "Are you going to sing?" she asked with a sigh.

"Nope," the dwarf said simply. "Just supposed to read it discrete like." He glanced around at the watching students - of all years. "This discrete enough?" Without waiting for a response, he pulled out a sheet of paper and began to read.

"I know not what has come to pass To fill your eyes with sorrow Nor what I'd give to see a smile On your face tomorrow.

We have been through thick and thin together passed the trials and though there's times that we have cried They're outnumbered by the smiles.

Through pain and sorrow, joy and laughter courage, doubt, and fear Never doubt that through it all I will always be here.

Signed,  
A Friend."

As the dwarf finished reading, Jade could hardly speak. Several of the older girls nearby were giving heartfelt sighs. The dwarf handed the piece of paper with the poem to Jade. "Now, I won't be telling ya who sent this," he said with a grin, "but if you're open to some unasked for advice...this boy's a keeper!"

As she took the poem, Jade couldn't help but grin. "Thank you for the advice. Though you won't tell me who it is, would you give him this from me?" Leaning down, she kissed the dwarf lightly on the cheek. The dwarf's beard and mustache stood on end. When she stood back up, the dwarf glanced around, and Jade noticed Harry surreptitiously pulling his cloak up to cover his cheeks.

The dwarf grinned. "If you don't mind, missy, I think I'll be keeping that for meself!"

Jade laughed. "Away with you, rogue!" She made a shooing motion, and the dwarf headed off. For some reason, Jade found herself unnacountably happy.

000000000

Jade was rather shocked to learn that the magic diary Harry had found named Hagrid as the culprit, and she certainly didn't believe it. However, she could see where it might be easy enough to believe, especially with Hagrid's passion for magical creatures. However, with joy finally being a part of her daily life again, Jade decided to put such things out of her mind, not really paying attention when the diary got stolen.

One day, however, as she was heading towards the Quidditch field after an early meeting with Professor Snape - he had wanted to discuss the next phase of her DAtDA lessons - she felt Voldemort's magic in the school again. Without a second thought, and ignoring Ruby's yowls of warning, she raced towards the source. All of a sudden, she felt a strange weight from the crystal around her neck, and a curtain of fire erupted in the corridor in front of her, skidding her to a halt.

Through the fire, she saw a pair of glowing green eyes rearing backward, and then everything went black. 


	14. Haunting part 1

14. Haunting, Part 1

Jade could feel herself moving, and watched the world before her eyes bounce along. She couldn't move her body. It was like watching a movie, except she could feel what was happening. Everyone and everything around her was so large, it didn't make sense. What was going on? She began to hear things as well as her awareness spread further.

"Three attacks today, after so long with none." That was Madame Pomfrey's voice.

"This does not bode well." That was Dumbledore.

"We need to find the one responsible." That was Snape, but...there was rage and sadness in his voice. What was going on?

She could see she was in the Hospital Wing, and three bodies were being laid on the beds. She suddenly leapt upward, landing on one of them.

"Now see here!" Madame Pomfrey again.

"That's her cat." That was Argus Filch. "Leave her be, Poppy."

She was on a surface resembling a giant blanket, staring at her own face, locked in an expression of fear. The Demon Fire Crystal was glowing around her neck. What was going on?

She felt herself reach for the crystal, and saw a white paw cross her vision to touch it. She understood. "I'm inside Ruby," she said in shock. She spoke as though she talked aloud, but it only seemed to sound within her own mind.

The paw withdrew before touching the crystal, and Jade felt Ruby relax. "There you are," a purring voice said within her thoughts. "I wondered why I couldn't smell your soul. Don't scare me like that, Mom."

"Ruby?" Jade said in shock. "I can hear you? You can hear me?" Then she paused. "Mom?"

"What?" Ruby asked, leaning back to wash her paw. Jade tried not to think about the taste of fur...and the things Ruby was washing off. "Would you rather I call you something else? I certainly wouldn't call you mistress. I'm not a dog."

"You could call me by name." Jade mentally shook her head. Why was she arguing with her cat?

"When you've grown into your name, I will." Ruby turned her head. "Oh, they've brought your friends."

Jade saw through Ruby's eyes as Harry and Ron came in. She watched, surprised, as Harry came immediately to her side...and Ron went to Hermione's. "Hermione was attacked too?" Jade asked, shocked.

Ruby continued to lick herself. "I wouldn't know. You're my responsibility, not her."

Jade watched, sad, as Harry clutched her hand, standing over her body. "Please, Ruby, can I - I mean we - "

Ruby stretched, then walked over to Harry, rubbing her head against his side, purring. "I was getting there. Besides, he's your best chance to get back in your own body. The one controlling that monster wants you all dead, and I'm not about to let that happen." As Harry began to rub Ruby's head, she continued, "Besides, scar boy gives good caresses when he thinks you and the owl aren't looking. I like him. I might actually learn his name someday."

Jade wanted to say more, but Ruby was right. Harry's gentle caress on Ruby's head felt really good, and she couldn't help but relax.

00000000

Harry went through his day after leaving the Hospital Wing rather woodenly. The image of Jade and Hermione lying there as though carved from stone wouldn't leave his mind. To make it worse, Ruby stuck close to his side on the way back to the common room, and sat in his lap while they were there, sadness seeming to droop from her whiskers. He knew he had to do something, anything.

Although he and Ron went down to Hagrid's - Ruby in tow, though not under the Invisibility Cloak - they didn't learn anything useful beyond Hagrid's rather cryptic clue to follow the spiders. However, a few other things had caught Harry's eye, leaving him somewhat confused. On the way there, they had passed Snape standing guard...and Ruby had gone right up to him, mewling sadly. Snape had glanced down at Ruby...and then leaned down to pet her. Although Ron swore he had to be mad to think this, Harry was certain he saw the beginnings of unshed tears in Snape's eyes as he did so. Also, Ruby seemed to perk up at the clue to follow the spiders, constantly looking towards the Forbidden Forest.

Two weeks later, in Potions class, Snape's unusual behavior shocked everyone though. Malfoy had been strutting about with Dumbledore's removal, and he suggested Professor Snape apply for the job. Snape hadn't responded. When Malfoy went on to talk about the Mudbloods not leaving, and the next one dying, Snape slammed his hand down on Malfoy's desk, making everyone jump.

"You would do well, Mr. Malfoy, to be silent on matters beyond your limited comprehension," Snape said coldly, his eyes hard as agates as he stared at Malfoy, his eyes filled with a level of hate normally reserved for Harry. As everyone stared like he'd grown a second head, Malfoy nodded mutely. He then walked back to the front of the class, passing by Harry's desk as he did so. He paused there, seeing that Ruby sat on the desk next to Harry. He took a moment to idly scratch Ruby behind the ears before the bell rang, and proceeded to escort everyone to their next class, leaving everyone wide eyed with shock.

In Herbology, many of the Gryffindors gossiped, telling the Hufflepuffs what had happened. While it was by now common knowledge that Snape had been giving private lessons to Jade - a Gryffindor - this latest behavior left many confused. Hannah from Hufflepuff, sharing the table with Harry and Ron, put it best. "It's almost as though it were his own daughter attacked."

Seeming to ignore what was going on, Ruby calmly dug a claw into Harry and Ron's legs to get their attention, staring at the line of spiders heading straight for the Forbidden Forest. She seemed quite pleased that they'd finally gotten her message about the spiders and the forest.

Late that night, Harry and Ron snuck out to Hagrid's hut to collect Fang. All it took was one swipe from Ruby's paw - she still stuck close by them - to get Fang to behave.

When they reached the center of the forest, they met Aragog, and discussed what they could with him of the monster in the castle. When Aragog was about to bid them farewell, Ruby suddenly leapt to Harry's shoulder, fur all the way extended and spitting and snarling. Aragog paused, and began to reply in a furious sequence of clickings and snappings. This conversation went on for some time. Then Aragog turned back to Harry. "Is what she says true? You hunt the monster from the school to prove Hagrid's innocence?"

Harry thought quickly. "That's right! It...it attacked two of my friends. No one's died yet...this time...but unless the creature - and the one controlling it - is stopped, the school will be closed and Hagrid will be left in Azkaban. If...if we can find the creature and catch - or kill - it, we'll be able to prove Hagrid's innocence, and they'll have to release him!"

The spider's all began to click and snap furiously again, drowning out any other noise...but then Aragog roared.

"ENOUGH!" he commanded his children. "I, we, owe everything to Hagrid. If not for him, I would not live to have found this hollow. If not for Hagrid, Mosag would not have been brought to me, and none of you would be alive! In this, I will make the final decision. If there is a chance Hagrid may be freed...exonerated...I will take it!" Aragog turned to Harry. "Boy, how sure are you of your ability to stop the monster of the school?"

Harry swallowed. He didn't even know what the creature was, or why he seemed to be able to hear it. As he opened his mouth to answer honestly, images flashed through his mind. Images of Jade: as he'd first met her, of their first year at Hogwarts together, how happy she was to learn magic...of her sorrow at the beginning of her second year, the weight that seemed to be on her soul...of the joy that his poem valentine had brought her...of her laying there in the Hospital Wing, unmoving and afraid. The world before him for one brief moment was cast in a white sheen.

"I will not fail," he said. It wasn't a promise. It was a statement of fact.

In the moment the world had glowed white, he had seen all the spiders pull back as though afraid...save Aragog, who had watched calmly. He turned and gestured to a group of his children. "Escort them out of the forest. Let nothing touch them." As the group leapt to obey, Aragog turned back to Harry. "Good luck, Child of Truth."

As Harry and Ron were escorted out, Ron turned to Harry. "What do you think Aragog meant when he called you that?"

Harry shrugged. "No idea." Ruby also seemed quite perplexed...but at the same time uninterested.

000000000

*Why did Aragog call Harry Child of Truth?* Jade asked Ruby silently, for what felt like the umpteenth time.

*What makes you think I know anything?* Ruby asked, calmly washing her paw.

*Because you weren't surprised by him saying it!*

*Valid point. Yes, I know why he called him that.*

Jade waited for a while. *And?* she insisted at last.

*It's a secret.*

Jade screamed silently in frustration. *Why won't you tell me?*

*Because you don't need to know. By the way, once you get back to your body, do you think you could see about changing my diet? I've never been all that fond of Meow Mix, and your crafting sales have certainly given you enough money to afford some premium foods for me.*

Jade sighed. She should have known better than to argue with a cat. *Any preferences?* At least Ruby seemed to take it as given that she would get back to her own body.

*I'll let you know,* Ruby replied calmly. *Oh look, it's the idiot's class again.*

Jade noticed they were once again at Lockhart teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Jade sighed to herself. When Gilderoy reached down to pet Ruby, she spun, hissing, taking a swipe at him before he pulled back. *Okay, I know I hate him for my own reasons, but why do you?* Jade asked her cat.

*I don't. I just don't want him touching me. He tastes bad.*

Jade chuckled to herself. After Harry and Ron were able to ditch Lockhart, Ruby followed them as they headed towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom...and when they detoured to go visit the Hospital Wing. She was rather surprised by what the paper Hermione had revealed. *I thought a basalisk was a lizard with the head of a chicken?* she said in confusion.

*That's a cockatrice,* Ruby replied calmly.

*Aren't they the same thing?*

*Does that mean you're a monkey's uncle?*

*...right, I'll shut up.*

*Finally. It's crowded with you in here.*

*...thanks.*

*Any time.*

As Harry and Ron figured out the answers to what had been happening, Jade couldn't help but internally nod along. Now it all started to make sense. She had found where the missing puzzle piece belonged. *Now all we have to do is get Harry to the Chamber of Secrets soon enough to command the Basilisk not to attack anyone else, and he can then wait for whoever HAS been doing it and turn them into McGonagall.*

*Somehow, I doubt it will be that easy,* Ruby said blandly. *But we can hope.*

0000000000000

Harry couldn't help but feel frustrated at how slow things were moving. A frentic energy was beginning to fill him. He knew - somehow - that he had to face whatever was in the Chamber, and soon. He and Ron had cornered Lockhart, and pushed him towards the entrance and down ahead of them. Ruby had not been happy about going into the sewers, but she had refused to leave Harry's side. Then Lockhart had tried to use Ron's wand - the one Jade had made for him - and for some reason, the spell had leapt out of the wrong end, causing an explosive backlash that collapsed the tunnel, leaving Harry and Ruby on one side and Ron and Lockhart on the other. He continued down the long corridor, wand at the ready.

Once in the Chamber itself, he raced forward to check on Ginny, shocked at the state she was in. The discovery that Tom Riddle was Voldemort, and using Ginny to ressurect himself, was a great shock, but it only led Ruby to hiss defiance. Nothing seemed to faze that cat. When Fawkes came in response to Harry's words about Dumbledore, it had surprised Tom. He recovered quickly, however.

"Let's pit the great Harry Potter and all the defenders he can gather, against the powers of Lord Voldemort, heir of Salazar Slytherin!"

0000000000

Jade watched through Ruby's eyes as Harry battled the basilisk. At first, she'd feared to meet its gaze, but Fawkes took care of that rather rapidly by pecking its eyes out. Ruby knew better than to try and attack something that big, and mostly just made noise to distract it. Harry had to run around the chamber, dodging and swinging the sword that had come out of the Sorting Hat. Then it seemed Tom Riddle had lost his patience. He began aiming Harry's wand, seeking to curse Harry.

*If he hits Harry, he's dead!* Jade cried silently.

*Even if he doesn't, dodging curses and a snake is too much for anyone. One will kill him eventually.* Ruby seemed as upset as Jade. *But he's still mostly a ghost. I can't touch him.*

* A ghost...* Jade began searching through her magic. *The only way I could be in your body is through an Astral Projection...*

Ruby shivered. *Jade...do you know what you're doing?*

*...I hope so.* Finally, Jade found what she was looking for. Reaching through her magic, she seized the tie that bound her to her body...

...and severed it.

To be continued... 


	15. Haunting, part 2

12. Haunting, part 2

Tom Riddle raised Harry's wand, aiming carefully. Harry was doing a bit too well against the basilisk...somehow...so it was time to finish this battle off once and for all. "Avada-"

There was a hollow, rushing surge ending with the sound of an impact. Tom lurched back as a force impacted him heavily in the gut. He staggered, wincing. It felt like he'd been hit by a bus. It didn't make sense. He wasn't fully flesh yet, he shouldn't be able to feel pain. He glared around, seeking the source of the blow.

There was another hollow surge. He raised his wand to defend himself, but the impact took him across the chin, sending him staggering. Several more surges came in rapid succession. Each of these impacts were smaller, striking his torso and limbs in rapid succession. While not as intense as the first two, these still caused him real pain. "Coward!" he shouted. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

There was a feminine chuckle in the air. "You know, I'd tell you to watch more movies...but you're from 50 years ago. It hadn't been made yet. Pity. It was one of the few romance flicks I actually enjoyed."

Tom glared around. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh that's right!" the voice continued. "You're the Dark Lord Voldemort! Nothing made by muggles is of any interest to you. Pity. You'd be amazed how much magic I learned from trying to make things technology did for me."

An image began to appear in the air in front of him as he focused his magic. It was a ghost of some sort, female, about Harry's age, with Asian features. She was grinning at him as though she had him on the ropes. He decided to play with her for a while. "How did you do all that?" he asked, preparing his magic.

She smirked. There was another surge, and he staggered back as this one took him right on the face. "Like I said, watch more movies. Then you'd know that not even a Ghost is powerless."

He smirked, deciding he was through playing. "Ghosts are never powerless, fool. That's why spells exist to fight them!" He thrust his wand forward. In Parseltongue, he shouted, "Death's chains!"

A beam of magic shot out and struck the apparition, and she screamed in pain...her scream drowned out by the death kneel of the basilisk. Voldemort turned towards Harry as he fell backward, the basilisk's fang embeded in his arm.

Jade floated over to Harry. She knew she couldn't do anything to help him, but she had nothing left to lose at this point. She positioned herself between Tom and Harry as Fawkes flew down.

Tom sneered at her. "Do you really think your pitiful defiance does any good at this point? Even Dumbledore's bird knows Harry is dying. Look at how he weeps!"

Jade didn't dare turn, schooling her spectral features to grief. Inside, she whispered, *Ruby, bring Harry the book.* Aloud, she said, "I guess you win then, Tom. The Dark Lord rises again. And then what? Exterminate the Mudbloods and Muggles? Squibs, too?"

Tom smirked. "I'm sure I'll get around to that at some point."

Jade kept her ghost face calm as Ruby brought the diary to Harry. It was time to start pressing buttons. She had to give Fawkes' tears time to work...and Harry time to find a way to destroy the book. "And what then? Rule the world with your Pureblood Master Race?" She noticed his flinch, and realised she'd found the right button. She'd read in History of Magic how a certain event from Muggle history had crossed into the Wizarding world, and witches and wizards had suffered nearly as much as Muggles from the butchery of one Muggle's ambitions. She grinned. "Tell me, Dark Lord...are you even a pure blood?"

Tom's face contorted in a sneer. "Don't mock me, Mudblood wench. I am descended from Salazar Slytherin! What is your blood worth?"

Jade shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. But it means a lot to you, doesn't it? So, when you're done with your Reich...how long until your blood isn't pure enough to remain?"

Tom's hand was shaking as he raised the wand. "Doesn't matter much for you. I know how to destroy spirits. Any last words before yours is gone for good?"

Jade knew she had to keep him focused on her. She could hear Harry stirring. As long as she could keep Tom from getting to Harry long enough, Harry would find a way to destroy the diary. If she was the sacrifice to stop the Dark Lord from returning...she could accept that. She already had. "Just four." She thrust her right arm into the air. "Sig heil, mon fuerhur!"

Tom roared in fury and lifted Harry's wand...then lurched as a hole of shimmering light appeared in his chest. "NO!" he screamed. "How is it possible?"

Jade turned. Harry had driven the broken basilisk fang into the diary. Raising the fang, he drove it in again and again. Each time, another shimmering hole of light appeared in Tom's not quite flesh body. Finally, Tom burst in a shower of light...and Ginny regained conciousness.

As Ginny raced over to Harry, telling about how this had come to pass, Jade focused some of her emotional energy on Harry's wand, skidding it over to him. "Try to keep track of that in the future, Harry. I probably won't be around to keep track of it for you."

Harry looked up at her. "Jade? W...what do you mean?"

She smiled at him sadly. "Since the attack, when I was petrified...my spirit's been inside Ruby." She gestured as Ruby walked up to Harry. "When Tom tried to curse you while you were fighting the basilisk...I severed my spirit's ties to my physical body. Before, it was Petrification and Astral Projection. Now...I'm pretty sure I'm dead."

"WHAT?" Harry shouted. "But...but why?"

She shook her head. "Because...because it was the only way to save everyone...to save you."

"Jade..." Harry stared at her, fear in his eyes.

She tried to smile. "Well, I'll still be haunting Hogwarts I guess. You'll still see me at school..." Her voice trailed off. She felt a cold tug at the center of her being. "M...maybe not..." She felt herself fall into a howling chasm at her center as Harry called her name in fear.

She found herself in darkness, and felt strangely heavy. Something hot burned at her chest, and strange smells filled her nose. *This must be hell...* she thought sadly, slowly opening her eyes. The first thing that greeted her was Uncle's face, leaning over her, unnaturaly pale. "Huh?" she said aloud.

"AIYAH!" Uncle cried, shock and despair in his voice. "Jade! Don't you ever be so reckless again!" He looked as though he was going to throw his arms around her, but held himself back.

"You stupid girl," Snape's voice said from nearby. "By any rights you should be dead." Jade turned her head, and saw Snape leaning against the wall, looking wan and sickly, as though he'd just recovered from a terrible plague.

"Professor?" Jade asked slowly. She felt so weak. "What...happened? I dreamed I was dead..."

"You were, Jade." This was Tohru's voice. "You had Astral Projected out of your body when you were Petrified. Then you severed your link to your body, and it started to die." As Jade turned, she saw Tohru leaning against a wall, breathing heavily. "It took every ounce of Sensei's knowledge and Professor Snape's skill and all the power we three could bring to bear to put your spirit back in your body. We...almost didn't make it. If we hadn't been coming here as soon as we heard about the attack on you...we wouldn't have been in time."

Jade blinked slowly, struggling to focus. "It...it looks like you lost some weight, T." Then she blinked, and everything that happened came back to her. "Harry! He's in the Chamber of Secrets! It was a basilisk! There was a magic diary that had something of Voldemort from his years as Tom Riddle! It was controlling Ginny! They need help getting out-" She slumped back, all energy gone. "Ugh..."

"Be at ease, Jade." Professor Snape was drinking a potion he'd made for himself, Uncle, and Tohru. He was looking much better. "Mr. Potter and the others have already returned from the Chamber. Your friends are much worried about you. It took us three days to repair the bond between your body and spirit so it would be stable, and it will be another two days before it fully stabalizes and you can leave. Mr. Potter also reported what you did, and I have already heard of it from him. He thought it might aid us in repairing the damage you did to yourself." As Snape spoke of Harry, his usual rancor seemed all but gone. "He was not mistaken."

Jade heaved a sigh of relief as Ruby hopped up beside her. "Good to know. I was...worried. Hey, Ruby."

*Glad to see you back in one piece,* Ruby's voice purred in Jade's mind. *It was nice having you inside me, but I think this works much better for both of us. Be more careful next time.*

"I'll try, Ruby," Jade said sleepily. At the others stares, Jade pointed at Ruby. "She's talking to me in my head."

"A side effect of spending so much time in hers?" Snape asked, one eyebrow quirked up.

"Most likely," Uncle said, nodding.

Snape then looked sternly at Jade. "Miss Chan, I want you to promise me you will never do something so reckless ever again."

Jade nodded happily. "Scout's Honor."

"Like you're a scout," Snape said coldly, though he couldn't hide his grin.

Jade smiled and started to yawn. Tohru quickly pulled a blanket over her. "Rest now, Jade. You can have visitors tomorrow."

Jade nodded sleepily. Ruby curled up between Jade's chin and shoulder, her nose to Jade's neck, purring contentedly. Her soft purr slowly lulled Jade to sleep.

0000000000

When she was able to have visitors the next day, Harry, Ron and Hermione were the first, accompanied by Hagrid. She was able to reassure them that she was alright, that she would make a full recovery, and that she'd never do anything so reckless again. She could only hope she'd stick to that, but she knew herself too well to really believe it. Later, Dumbledore came to check on her, and questioned her on the power she had wielded as a temporary ghost. When she explained where she got the idea, he had laughed, saying it was 'one for his side,' whatever that meant. Then she was visited by Argus Filch and Mrs. Norris. Jade smiled as they sat with her, not saying anything. The only moment of note was when Argus left a get well soon present that he said came from Draco Malfoy. Jade wasn't sure what to make of that, although she was happy to hear that Lucius was no logner a school governer...and that Harry had managed to get Dobby freed.

All in all, she was glad end of year exams were cancelled. She wasn't sure how she would have taken them. She was also pleased to hear that Gilderoy Lockhart had lost his memory...especially when she heard from Harry that all his books were things other people had done. She wondered how he'd manage to regain his memory, since his books would obviously be no help whatsoever.

So, when the year came to a close and everyone boarded the Hogwarts Express to head home, she was sorry to bid her friends farewell. She gave them all a tight hug as they said their goodbyes.

As she looked sadly out the cab window, Uncle smiled at her. "Cheer up, Jade. You'll see them all soon. Maybe you can even visit with them over the summer. If not, you'll see them at Hogwarts."

*Yes,* Ruby said in Jade's mind. *Then you can have even more crazy adventures. If I weren't naturally white, Jade, you would have driven me gray by now.*

Jade couldn't help but laugh at that. Ruby - and Uncle - were right. She had a lot to look forward to. For once, there were no dark clouds on her horizon.

00000000000

One of Dumbledore's agents carefully explored the forests of Albania. He was taking every possible caution. Voldemort was here, and while his power was broken, that didn't make him helpless. He paused as he heard heavy breathing. Holding up his wand, he whispered, "Lumos."

The light illuminated a young man, maybe 25 years of age. To all appearances, he was a Muggle, though perhaps one under a curse. His hair was bright green and his eyes were red. His skin was pale as death, and he was muttering something under his breath.

"I say, are you all right, old chap?" The wizard approached carefully. He could sense a magical aura around the young man, although very weak. "Let me see what I can do for you." He knew this wasn't Voldemort. He was too human in appearance. Also, he seemed to have Asian features. "Long way from home, aren't you?" He touched his wand to the prone man's arm, mumbling a spell to rejuvenate.

The man suddenly seized his wrist, holding it in a vise like grip. "I say, I've got you. Easy." He began to cast more healing spells...but he started to feel weak. The man's mutterings were growing louder. "What...what are you doing to me?" He held up his wand. "Stupefy!"

The spell flew out of the wand, impacted the man's flesh...and had no effect. "Petrificus Totalus!" This spell had no more effect than the first, and the man seemed to be growing stronger as the wizard weakened. The muttering was now clearly rythmic, almost a chant. In desperation, the wizard cried, "Avada Kedavra!"

His last spell, too, was absorbed. He felt his magic fade, and his eyes started to go dark. The last thing he saw were the man's glowing red eyes. The last thing he heard was the chant, at last clear.

"Ya Gaa Mee Mo, Ya Gaa Mee Chi-Wah...Ya Gaa Mee Mo, Ya Gaa Mee Chi-Wah..."

End Book 2 


	16. Let them eat Crow

16. Let Them Eat Crow

Harry sat rather sourly as Aunt Marge went into yet another of her tirades about him, his parents, and everything in general. He did his best to control his temper - he really wanted that Hogsmeade letter signed, and he didn't want any accidental magic happening - but things were getting harder and harder to ignore. Then there was a loud knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Harry said quickly, getting to his feet. He didn't know who it was, but he needed an excuse to get out of the room. Without waiting for anyone to say anything, Harry raced out. Once in the main hall, he quickened the pace. Given how loud the knock was, he half expected to find Hagrid at the door. While he would be overjoyed to see Hagrid - or any of his friends from Hogwarts - he wondered how he would explain things to Aunt Marge.

Opening the door, he gazed up at the figure standing there. It wasn't Hagrid - not big enough - but the man standing there looked like he might just pass for a sumo wrestler, and he seemed familiar. "Umm..." Harry began.

"HARRY!" Jade cannoned into Harry from beside the large man, hugging him tight. She was currently dressed in the latest fashions in the region, and Ruby was perched on her shoulder. Ruby's greeting of Harry was nearly as happy as Jade's. "It's so good to see you. Can we come in?" She noticed Harry staring at her companion. "Oh, you remember Tohru, right? He was with me when we met in Diagon Alley."

Now Harry remembered where he'd seen Jade's large companion. "Oh, yes. We weren't introduced." He held out a hand. "Pleasure to meet you, sir."

Tohru's large hand enfolded Harry's gently. "Likewise," he said, a gentle smile on his face, making it clear that he was a gentle giant by nature.

Harry turned back to Jade. "I wish I could invite you in, but with my Aunt Marge here..." His voice trailed off. He'd like nothing better then to bring Jade in, but with Hogsmeade riding on this...

Jade smiled. "Family issues? Your relatives being stupid Muggles again?" She spoke without rancor, her voice holding only amusement. "Why don't you let me help?"

Harry shrugged. If nothing else, Jade being here might help keep him from exploding. "Come on in."

As they entered, Jade whispered to Tohru, "Remember what I said about the extra Muggle." Harry watched in confusion as Tohru nodded, smoothing the smile from his face.

As he brought them in, Marge looked up, smiling at Jade. "And who might you be, young lady?" She glanced nervously towards Tohru, who seemed to fill the room and now had a fierce scowl on his face as he stood at rest. The change of expression and bearing made him look like a totally different person...one who would have no qualms about tearing someone limb from limb.

Jade smiled. "I'm Jade Chan," she said happily. "I'm a friend of Harry's from school. It's so good to meet his family at last."

Marge frowned in dissaproval. "But Harry attends St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys. How can you be friends from there?"

Harry winced as he watched Jade carefully...and the surroundings for signs of magic. He knew Jade had a frightful temper sometimes...and somehow, the crystal she always wore effected her surroundings in response to her temper. It would make any explosion from him look like a spark by comparison-

He was caught off guard by Jade's peals of laughter. "St. Brutus's? Wherever did you get the idea Harry attended there?"

As Uncle Vernon glared daggers and started to open his mouth, Marge responded. "Why, my brother Vernon, of course."

Jade shook her head. "Oh, Mr. Dursley, I know it was embarrasing that Dudley couldn't pass the entrance exam, but I would think you would be PROUD that Harry got in on scholarship!"

"Where?" Marge asked, pouncing on this.

Jade smiled. "Why, Caterham, of course!" As Marge's jaw dropped, and Harry tried to hide his own shock, Jade continued, "I had to struggle to get in myself, the entrance for foreign students are frightfully hard. I passed - barely - but they were so eager to have Harry attend when he aced the exams and interview, since his father did so well there-"

"He attended Catterham?" Marge demanded, her eyes wide.

"Why of course!" Jade said, as though shocked that Marge would doubt this. "Did you think MI-6 recruited from just anywhere?" She then gasped. "Oh, I'm not supposed to know about that!" She looked fearfully at Marge. "You won't tell anyone I told you, will you? My parents would be so furious, I'd never be let out of their sight again..."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Marge said quickly, her eyes wide with shock. "But...however did you find out?" When Tohru rumbled dangerously, Marge changed the subject. "Oh, where are my manners? Who is your large friend?"

Jade rolled her eyes. "My bodyguard." She sighed theatrically. "My folks insist. Parents, you know? They get 'diplomatic immunity' attatched to their job description and suddenly they get paranoid." As Marge's eyes widened, Jade continued. "It's not so bad. It certainly makes it easier to get certain...boys to take no for an answer."

Tohru idly flexed the muscles in one arm, drawing everyone's eyes. He then settled back into his at rest posture, mantaining his scowl.

Marge turned back to Jade. "Well, I suppose it is good to see Harry has such a wonderful young friend." Harry had expected Marge to speak of him with her usual malice, but somehow she didn't.

"Oh," Jade continued, "you have no idea how grateful I am to have met Harry. I've lost count of the number of times he's stuck his neck out for me. I don't know where I'd be without him."

"Oh no," Harry responded, beginning to get into this. "I'd say I owe you far more, Jade. I'd never have managed so well without you."

Jade smiled joyously at Marge. "He's so modest. Isn't he wonderful?"

Marge nodded with a smile. "Harry...why didn't you ever tell me any of this? When Vernon and Petunia had told me such stories, why didn't you ever say anything?"

Harry smiled, unable to resist throwing Marge's own words back at her. "They took me in after my parents death. It would have been ungrateful of me in the extreme to naysay them over such picky details." Harry struggled to keep from laughing aloud. Marge looked like she'd just swallowed something unpleasant, and Vernon and Petunia were looking torn between murderous and terrified. Dudley was trying to cover his bottom, obviously believing Tohru to be a powerful wizard who might turn him into a pig the way Hagrid had given him the curly tail. Noticing Dudley's stare, Tohru smiled mirthlessly at him, an expression that just hardened his features, making Dudley whimper.

Marge managed a smile at last. "Quite right Harry." She then turned to Jade. "So what brings you here, young lady?"

Jade smiled. "Well, we just got back into the country, and I've never had a chance to really see the sights. I was hoping I could borrow Harry for the next two weeks till term starts, to show me around. Besides, there's some homework due that I could REALLY use his help on. My folks have already agreed to put him up till start of term if it's okay?" This last was directed towards Vernon, Jade's winsome smile backed up with Tohru's scowl.

Vernon gulped, but still managed to look stern when addressing Harry. "Go on, off with you! Don't leave anything behind!"

Harry could hardly wait. Saying a quick "Thanks" directed at Jade - though Marge would probably assume it was for Vernon - he raced upstairs to grab all of his stuff from his room, while Jade went staight to the cupboard under the stairs to get his trunk. When Harry would have grabbed the key from Uncle Vernon, he discovered Jade had already gotten it out, slipping a couple of hairpins back into her hair. Tohru easily picked up the trunk and Hedwig's cage, and they headed outside.

Harry was rather surprised by the limo waiting for them outside, although Jade and Tohru acted like it was perfectly normal. Tohru opened the door, glanced in carefully, then tossed the trunk in, gently pushed in Hedwig's cage, then motioned for Jade and Harry to get in while he scanned around for threats.

Inside the limo, Harry was surprised to discover the interior nearly as massive as a house. This was obviously a wizard vehicle, meant to look like an especially well off Muggle transport. "What is this?" Harry asked as he sat down.

"Paladin Express," Jade said calmly as Tohru got in. "The upper crust private wizarding transport." As she leaned back in the massively cushioned chairs that comprised the interior while gazing at the pool and jacuzzi, she suddenly giggled helplessly. "I can't believe I was able to pull that off with a straight face!" she said, giggling again.

Tohru started to laugh as well. "Did you see their faces?" he asked, rolling onto his back as he laughed. The laughter was infectious, and Harry began to laugh as well.

Jade finally managed to control herself. "I wonder if Hogsmeade will have anything to top this?" she asked, smiling happily.

Harry winced internally. "You'll have to tell me," he said, trying to make it bland. "Uncle Vernon never signed mine."

Jade looked stricken. "Oh Harry," she said quietly. "Was it hinging on that whole charade with your Aunt? I'm so sorry! I messed it up for you!"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "No big deal, Jade. There's always next year." He smiled encouragingly. "Besides, it was worth seeing the looks on their faces!"

Jade managed a smile. "Speaking of..." There was a pop in the air next to her, and a familiar looking construct appeared. "Deikbeck, what did they talk about after we left?"

Deikbeck displayed ":))" on his screen, then opened his top. The lore sphere inside glimmered and displayed an image in the air over him. Marge towered over Vernon, shouting.

"How could you tell me such horrible, filthy lies about someone who died for Queen and Country, Vernon? I can understand you had to keep the truth secret, his father probably still had enemies who'd want to kill Harry...but to tell me such filthy lies? I thought you trusted me, Vernon! I'm your sister! Why I've half a mind..."

Deikbeck closed the image as Harry, Jade, and Tohru laughed uproariously. Deikbeck displayed ":))" once more, and settled onto the cushions.

Finally, Harry managed to get control of himself. "So, we really going to see the sights of London?"

Jade shook her head. "Nah. I just figured you couldn't bear to stay another day with the Dursleys. I'll just get us rooms at the Leaky Cauldron till term starts. We can get our school supplies and get our homework done."

Harry blinked, then smiled. "Loresphere sales must be great, huh?"

Jade was quiet for a time. "Not just lorespheres. I've made a few other...nicknacks, and they were all selling so well that...I wound up starting my own company." Jade pulled out an advertisment from "The Daily Prophet".

'Ever wondered what the next big development of magical convenience might be? Well, look no further than No Chance Manufacturing and Sales! The original producers of the loresphere - the worlds fastest rising magical recording method, now registered by the World Magical Artifact Commitee as unalterable by any known magic - now producing many other new and useful magical devices for your curiousity and convenience. No Chance, just a sure thing.'

Harry stared at the ad for a while. "I'd guess you're moving way past rich, then?"

Jade blushed. "I just made a few things I thought would be useful...and this happens. It's fun coming up with these new ideas...but it's kind of unnerving how well they're selling."

Deikbeck displayed "XP" and squeaked quietly.

"Exactly," Jade said in response. "And it's a lot of hard work getting it set up and running. I've barely had time to get any homework done, and I haven't even cracked my new books yet." Jade reached into her bag, pulling out her books for the four new subjects she was taking - Oclumency, Divination, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures. Pulling out the "Monster Book of Monsters", she opened it and began to perouse the pages.

Harry stared at her. "Jade...how come your book isn't snapping at you?"

Jade smiled. "It's an animal, Harry. Show it some affection and it'll calm right down."

Blinking, Harry pulled out his own copy - bound in a belt and growling - and carefully stroked the books spine. The book shuddered happily and fell limp.

"See?" Jade said happily. As the Paladin Express pulled into the Leaky Cauldron, they carried their books inside together, talking happily.

One thing was certain for Harry. This was the happiest end of summer yet. And he was sure the best was yet to come. 


	17. Darkness and Light

17. Darkness and Light

Jade couldn't help but smile as she thought about the past two weeks spent at the Leaky Cauldron. She and Harry had spent nearly all their time together, under Tohru's watchful eye. They passed their time working on their homework, exploring Diagon Alley, or just sitting together talking about everything or nothing in particular. It was a wonderful time for Jade, and Harry had told her it was two of the happiest weeks of summer in his entire life. As the last day of break came around, Jade was almost sorry. However, she was eager for school as well.

However, meeting with Ron and Hermione the last day was a welcome pleasure, and they discussed what they'd been doing over the summer. Jade avoided mention of her business venture's success: she didn't really want to flaunt her new wealth, especially in front of Ron. Besides, her identity as 'No Chance' founder and CEO was a company secret. No one actually knew about her outside the company, and she intended to keep it that way as long as possible.

Jade was happy to accompany Ron to the Magical Menagerie for Scabbers, Ruby on her shoulder. The shop keeper chose not to take note of the fact that nearly every animal in the shop cringed away from or bowed respectfully to Jade. Jade tried not to think about it, herself. However, when Crookshanks made his move for Scabbers, Jade managed to get out of the way in time, although she was a little distracted.

*Hello handsome,* Ruby's voice sounded in Jade's mind as Ruby watched Crookshanks. Ruby then turned her back and proceeded to wash her paw, seeming totally uninterested.

The effect on Crookshanks was immediate. He stopped bounding after Scabbers, staring at Ruby in fascination, tail twitching. He made same quiet meows and purrs, ending on an inquisitive note.

*Not for a few months,* Ruby seemed to reply. Then her eyes narrowed. *You don't have much tact, do you?*

Crookshanks replied with a series of cat sounds, obviously talking to Ruby.

*What can I say,* Ruby replied at last. *I like em big.* Although Ruby was slowly developing into her full growth, Crookshanks was nearly twice her size. *Back off the fake, okay? I've got things under control.*

Crookshanks meowed something in reply.

Ruby tilted her head. *If you insist. But it looks like Brainy there is getting ready to adopt you. I'd rather you weren't the cause of bad blood, if you can help it, you know? No, I know it's their problem not mine, but it might be my human's problem, since they're her friends. Besides, I'm sure your nose works just fine no matter how flat it is.*

Crookshanks let off a purling chuckle as Hermione paid for him.

*Hmm, a trickster. I like.*

Jade couldn't help but chuckle as Hermione carried Crookshanks out while Ruby hopped to her shoulder. *What faker?* she asked Ruby silently.

*You have all the information and skills you need to solve that yourself,* Ruby replied in an infuriatingly aloof tone. *I'm not going to hold your hand through everything, you know.*

Jade chuckled. *So is being able to talk with you like this going to help me at all?*

*Sure. You'll never be bored.*

Jade chuckled again, rolling her eyes. Putting it out of her mind, she continued onward, ignoring Ron and Hermione's arguement about Crookshanks.

Jade was happy to see the rest of the Weasley family, especially Arthur and Molly. Fred and George also made her feel quite welcome, and she did her best to ignore Percy. She enjoyed her time with them, and was glad she didn't have to once more show off her wealth since Mr. Weasley had gotten cars for them all from the Ministry.

Once aboard the Hogwarts Express, she, Harry, Ron, and Hermione got to a mostly empty compartment, sharing it with just the unconcious Professor Lupin. At that point, Harry told them all about the Ministry's theory that Sirius Black broke out of Azkaban to kill him. While Jade was concerned, she knew this meant that Dumbledore would take any and all neccessarry precautions. She wasn't too worried, although she was now secretly glad that she had managed to unintentionally prevent Harry from getting his Hogsmeade form signed. One less chance of him being in danger.

Jade focused on her magic sense. There was something...off about Professor Lupin. He felt strange, and she wasn't quite sure how to describe it.

Suddenly, the train pulled to a halt - much too soon - and all the lights went out. Jade got a little nervous, and was a little worried why this was happening...especially when she could sense the slow approach of something...horrible. Neville and Ginny made their way into the compartment, making it a little cramped. Then Professor Lupin woke up. Awake, his magic was much stronger and much more clearly defined. To Jade, there seemed to be something almost...lupine about it. Inside, she groaned at the inadvertant pun.

Then the creature appeared in the doorway. Jade saw the hand, shuddering at the look of it. Then the creature drew a slow, shuddering breath, and everything went frightfully cold.

Inside Jade's mind, all she could see was the Fire Demon Crystal, rotating before her, winking with a burning light. Each facet of the crystal reflected a beam of light into her eyes, giving her a different image and memories.

She saw Shendu, slowly turning grey as her spell destroyed his magic. She once again felt what she had done to him, and the pain of it once more seared her soul.

She saw her Uncle Jackie, each time he had tried to leave her behind. With every, "It's too dangerous," she felt her heart shrivel, one more time when Jackie didn't want her around.

She saw when Uncle was so eager to send her off to Hogwarts, when he had always chased her out of his work room to keep her from magic. Sending her away.

She saw when Jackie, exasperated at last by her never listening, finally said, "Why do I bother?" She flinched back from the statement.

She saw herself when she was still quite young, still with her parents. They both worked full time, so they were rarely home. When they were, they were all smiles. But every time she brought home something she'd done at school, something she was proud of, there would be a brief smile, and little else. They never had time for her. Out of her loneliness, she began to lash out at school, cause trouble. Whenever she did, her parents would yell at her. She kept acting out. She knew it was wrong, she knew she should be well behaved...but she kept doing it. At least when they yelled at her, or punished her, they were paying attention to her. At least then, she knew they cared.

But then, after she turned 11, they told her they were sending her to live with her Uncle Jackie in America. They were sending her away. They were getting rid of her. And then, after Shendu's first defeat, she returned to them...only to have them send her away again.

Gazing into the crystal - the fires within it burning hot - she felt incredibly cold. Within the crystal, she saw why everyone had always sent her away. What they must have seen all along, that revealed itself when she claimed her magic. She saw herself, her features altered in a demonic light, blue-bronze skin and crimson eyes. She was alone, unwanted, unloved...a monster. Slowly, she reached for the crystal. She knew its fire would consume her, but better that than the freezing cold of loneliness.

Before her hand reached the crystal, a gentle warmth began to spread through her. A familiar voice she couldn't quite place reached her ears.

"Jade...Jade, come back...wake up, Jade..."

As the warmth slowly filled her, dispelling the cold, the image of the crystal faded from her mind, and she opened her eyes.

She was on her back, staring up. She felt Ruby next to her, and a hand on her shoulder. The warmth that slowly spread through her came from that hand. She looked up along the arm, and saw Harry's face. "Jade..." he whispered. It was his voice she had heard in the darkness, pulling her back into the light.

With a wail, she threw her arms around Harry, clinging to him, crying into his robes. He held her tight, comfortingly, the gentle warmth still spreading from him into her, dispelling the last of the cold. Although the cold was gone, the pain of the images was still fresh in her mind, and it would be some time before she could escape it.

Professor Lupin managed to get her to eat some chocolate, although he kept looking at Harry funny as he did so. Several times, he started to say something, only to stop. Eventually, he left, to check on students in other compartments.

As they were heading out, Ruby was constantly talking to her in her mind, trying to get her mind off what she had seen.

*The wolfman there seems a little surprised. Probably wondering what made Harry glow, and is wondering if he really saw it. Not that I can tell him, mind. Wolves don't speak cat like you do. When the Dementor came in, it affected you and Harry the worst. Once wolfboy drove it off, Harry recovered somewhat, but you wouldn't stop shaking and shivering. I think the dementor's power triggered a reaction from that crystal. It's a good thing you're taking Oclumency. You need to learn how to seperate that crystal from your mind before it destroys you. Anyway, once Harry came around, he saw what was happening to you, since you were still on the ground, shaking and twitching, and the crystal was glowing brightly. Anyway, Harry's hand started giving off a white light and he laid it on your shoulder just as your heart started to go out of rythm. He called out to you, and you warmed back up and the crystal stopped glowing. Oh look, it's the annoying blonde...you know him as Malfoy, though I have a few other names for him. Looks like he was all for teasing Harry about fainting from the dementor, but the minute he saw the state you're in he looked like he was about to throw up. ...well I'll be, maybe he is worth something after all. He actually asked Harry if you were going to be okay...and he was polite about it. I guess it's true, the age of miracles isn't dead. Anyway, the cat witch - your head of house - has taken you to see Miss Medicine, whatever her name is. She was treating you while you were Petrified last year. They're trying to determine what treatment you need. Seems there's something up with Hot Stuff's human too, something about her schedule and that time necklace the cat witch is hiding in her drawer. Harry's rather insistent that you need to go to the feast, that the best thing for you right now is plenty of food and then bedrest, since you're still hypermetabolic. Guess you forgot to mention the magical supplements you and Uncle brewed up over the summer so you didn't eat Jackie out of house and home. Looks like Miss Medicine agrees with Harry. He's taking you to the Great Hall now. The twins look eager to help, but he's insisting on setting you down himself. Okay, you're sitting, time to listen to the Headmaster...wow, still not ready to hear, huh? Alright, I'll let you know if he says anything important.

*Hmm...aparently the dementors are the Azkaban guards, and they'll be guarding the school enterances in case Sirius Black shows up to kill Harry. He didn't say it in so many words, but we know what he means. Hmm, since the dementors aren't allowed on the school grounds, other protections have been implemented, though Dumbledore won't say what. Whatever it is, Hagrid looks mighty happy about it. Hmm, aparently Hagrid's teaching Care of Magical Creatures this year. That'll be good. He's already carrying that staff present you sent him, looks like he likes it. Oh, and wolfman's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. That should be helpful.

*...Okay, the feast's beginning. I'll let the smells work their magic on you. Besides, looks like there's a dish just for me right here.*

As Ruby began to eat from a dish of cream that had appeared right in front of her, Jade managed to get a hold of herself enough to eat. She slowly sorted through everything Ruby had told her, having clung to the words to pull out of her despair, rather than focusing on their content. Harry, seeing her starting to eat, also began to eat. Noticing this, Jade thought about the thing that stuck out most in her mind. *...Harry was glowing?*

*Can't talk, busy eating.*

*You don't use your mouth to-*

*Still rude to talk with it full. Trying to set a good example for you.*

Jade managed a weak chuckle at that, which apparently pleased both Harry and Professor Snape. The Potions teacher had been talking with Lupin - although his distaste for the man was obvious - and had come over to the Gryffindor table, apparently to check on Jade. Hearing her laugh, whatever the reason, seemed to relax Snape significantly. He rested a comforting hand on Jade's shoulder, and even managed to nod neutrally at Harry. It probably was too much to hope for pleasant this soon. Snape had only decided at the end of last term not to hate Harry without question.

When the feast finished, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George all leapt to help her to the Gryffindor Tower. She noticed Malfoy in the corner asking Professor Snape something.

*He's asking whether or not you're okay,* Ruby informed her, her tail twitching in curiousity. *Snape gave him a nonanswer. How odd. That one might just be worth keeping an eye on.*

Jade smiled at what Ruby had said, although unsure of what it meant. *About what we were talking about earlier-*

*Keep your ears open. You don't want to miss the new password.*

*But we're nowhere near-* Jade fell silent. She'd learned something about Ruby since they began to talk. If there was something Ruby felt Jade shouldn't or didn't need to know, she simply wouldn't talk about it. She'd either change the subject, ignore the inquiries, or ask penetrating questions that left Jade rather uncomfortable. Obviously, Harry glowing was one of those things. Deciding to put it out of her mind for now, she bid her friends good night once they reached the common room and let Hermione help her to bed.

The next day, Jade once more followed the castle's lead as she headed to her first class - divination. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all with her, managed to get there in good time without problems. Jade was looking forward to Divination, since she thought it might be applicable to what she'd learned from Uncle about tracking magical objects. She was sorely dissapointed.

Professor Trewalney came across as the worst of carnival charlatins to Jade's physical senses. It was only Jade's magical senses - showing Jade that Trewalney DID in fact have the true Seer's gift, if little used - that kept her from getting up right then to leave the classroom.

When it came time to study tea leaves, Jade wound up paired with Neville. She grinned at him as she examined his cup. She wasn't able to make out anything too distinct right at first...but when she paused to lean back and relax her eyes, the images in the tea leaves seemed to leap out at her. Consulting in the text for what she saw, she gave Neville the summation. "According to this...you are destined for greatness. You will be a key player in a great fellowship when the time comes to destroy something of great evil..." Jade paused, glancing down at the tea leaves - which no longer made any sense to her - and back up at Neville. "Well, good luck Frodo." At this last statement, nearly all the Muggle borns in the class laughed. "Okay, Neville. What's my cup say?"

Neville glanced down at her cup, reading carefully. "Well, the signs are increadibly clear. Is that unusual, Professor?"

"Not at all," Professor Trewalney replied. "Sometimes destiny lays so heavily on someone that even the unlearned can read it. Tell us, what do the signs say?"

Neville looked at the pages. "Well, this one here is the two faced coin. Means someone you know is going to change sides. This one is the gift, and it blends into the book. It means someone's going to be your teacher. This one is the contract, talking about an exchange of promises. The one in the middle isn't in the book, but according to the arrangement, it represents a specific individual. It says that whoever the center symbol represents is going to change sides and become your teacher in exchange for something promised between you. The symbol in the middle...is a broken line, followed by a solid line, and then another broken line."

Jade blinked. "Let me see that!" She grabbed the cup from Neville. Seeing the symbol, she knew there was no doubt. It was the trigram of Tso Lan, the Moon Demon. She couldn't help herself. She started to laugh.

"Does something amuse you, Miss Chan?" Professor Trewalney asked archly.

Jade smirked. "Only that tea leaves are obvious bupkiss." She refused to say anymore, and didn't even show any concern when Trewalney found a Grim in Harry's cup. It was obvious nonsense.

In Transfiguration later, Jade listened to the lecture about Animagi, and watched as McGonagall turned into a cat. She suddenly sat up straight. *Ruby...this is why you keep calling her the cat witch, isn't it?*

*Only just noticed?* Ruby asked with a yawn.

Jade would have asked more, but at that point, Professor McGonagall managed to dispell the tension caused by Professor Trewalney's announcment. Laughing with everyone else, she focused on her studies.

After lunch, Jade and the others headed down for Care of Magical Creatures. The night before, Harry had spread the news around those Gryffindor's taking the class about how to open the books. As the idea behind it was made clear to them, several of the students had gotten into it. Some of them had discovered that the magic that animated the books could be reactivated with certain behavior, and were treating the books like pets. Neville had even managed to teach his to sit up and beg, which had made him quite pleased with himself.

As such, Hagrid - who still carried the staff with the glittering sphere atop it - did not lose too much of his wind when Malfoy complained, as the Gryffindors all had their books open easily. Ron had actually spoken up when Malfoy complained. "Obviously you're just supposed to treat the books like any animal," he had said in a fair imitation of Malfoy's usual drawl. "How could anyone POSSIBLY miss that?" That got a laugh from the Gryffinors, and left Malfoy looking furious.

When Hagrid brought out the Hippogriffs, Jade was entranced. Once you got used to seeing something that was half eagle half horse - rather easy for Jade - they were amazingly beautiful. She stood frozen a little too long, and Harry was first to approach Buckbeak. Jade listened rather carefully as Hagrid clearly stated his warning about not insulting them, as they were proud creatures and would savage you if you insulted them. She watched enviously as Harry mounted Buckbeak and flew off on him. When Buckbeak came back to land, Jade applauded with everyone else.

Eager to try as well, Jade was one of the first to volunteer to approach the Hippogriffs. However the one she approached bowed respectfully to her before she even managed to finish her approach. Unsure what else to do, she bowed back. At that point, the hippogriff in question approached her and butted her hand lightly, soliciting affection.

Even distracted as she was by the Hippogriifs unusual behavior, she heard what Malfoy said to Buckbeak quite clearly. "I bet you aren't dangerous at all, are you, you great ugly brute?"

She wasn't at all surprised that Malfoy got attacked then, though pleased the damage wasn't too serious. She was, however, upset that that brought a rather quick end to the class.

Later that night, Jade went down with the others when they went to check on Hagrid. When she heard about the fuss Malfoy kicked up, she was furious. She added her support with the others regarding what had happened. "It's not just us as witnesses, Hagrid," she spoke up. "The sphere on top of the staff I gave you is one of the Lorespheres I've made. It's keyed to activate according to your class schedule and record the entire class. I did it so you could look back on the classes fondly in the future, but now you have a visual record of the class that the World Magical Artifact Committee rates as Unalterable and Irrefutable. If it comes to trial, just touch the sphere and call out date and time, and it will show exactly what happened."

Hagrid smiled. "You lot're always lookin out for me, ain'tcha?" He blew his nose noisily before going out to dunk his head in the water barrel. Jade was actually happy when he bellowed about Harry wandering around after dark.

On Thursday, during Potions, Jade heard Malfoy mentioning he'd need help preparing his potion, because of his arm. She found herself so bold as to speak up. "Professor, I've finished my preperations. I can assist Malfoy."

Professor Snape smiled thinly. "As you will."

Jade went over and proceeded to carefully shred Malfoy's daisy roots, watching him carefully. He didn't seem to know how to act around her, and seemed quite nervous around her. When she finished shredding the roots, she asked pleasantly, "Anything else you need?"

He gulped, blushing, and squeaked out, "shrivelfig."

Smiling, Jade carefully skinned his shrivelfig. "I think you can handle the rest from here...even if you only use one hand." She turned and headed back to her cauldron.

"Why'd you do that?" Harry whispered in her ear. "There's nothing wrong with his arm."

"It's his mouth I prefer were inactive," Jade whispered back, smirking.

Later, Jade was rather excited about Defense Against the Dark Arts. Although previous years had been...less than stellar, she had a good feeling about Professor Lupin. He had driven off the dementor after all. Besides, if class proved to be bunk, she was sure she could talk Dumbledore into letting her study with Professor Snape again.

When Lupin instructed everyone to think of what they feared the most, Jade paused, trying to think. ...within moments, the image of a dementor appeared in her mind, and she began to shake. Harry rested a hand on her arm.

"The dementor?" he asked quietly. She nodded helplessly. "Me too," he whispered. She smiled at him.

Given that, Jade was actually a little glad that she didn't face the boggart, although she was dissapointed at the lack of chance to try out the new spell. She stayed after class to talk to Professor Lupin.

"Professor, could I ask you a few of questions?"

He smiled at her. "Certainly. I take it you'd like a crack at another boggart? I'm sorry you didn't get a chance at this one-"

"No thanks," she said quickly. "I'd rather not get anywhere near a dementor again if I can help it. Not even a fake one."

Lupin stared at her for a time. "So when I asked you to picture what you feared most, it was a dementor?" She nodded. "That says that that which you fear the most...is fear. Very wise, Jade."

She smiled. "Wise for Harry and me both, then. Speaking of, why didn't you let Harry face the boggart?"

Lupin smiled. "I had thought his fear would be Lord Voldemort. Apparently I was mistaken."

Jade managed a small laugh. "Speaking of Dementors, though...are you going to be teaching the spell you used to ward off the dementor on the train?"

Lupin sighed, shaking his head. "That's very advanced magic. It's not covered on the O.W.L.'s. In point of fact, it's optional course study even in sixth and seventh years. Very few wizards and witches are able to do it at all."

"Oh," she replied, feeling kind of down. She'd hoped to learn that spell, since it seemed one she'd need quite a bit.

Lupin smiled at her. "You said you had a few questions. Is there one more?"

Jade nodded. "What's it like being a werewolf?"

Lupin visibly flinched. "How did you know?"

Jade smiled. "Three ways. First, your magic and the boggart told me. I can sense magic-"

"A rare gift," Lupin interrupted.

Jade smiled. "So Professor Snape's told me. Anyway, your magic felt distinctly...wolflike. And the boggart turned into the full moon." At Lupin's thin smile, Jade continued. "Second, my cat told me."

Lupin blinked. "Your...cat told you?"

"Yes. I've been able to speak with my cat in here-" she tapped her head "-since the end of last term. Side effect of spending a good amount of time in her head. ...don't ask. Anyway, she kept refferring to you as the wolfman."

Lupin chuckled. "I never expected a cat to know her movie classics."

Jade laughed. "By the way, she saw Harry glowing on the train after the dementor, too. She won't tell me what it was, but you were't seeing things."

Lupin smiled. "So my confirmation of sanity is what my student tells me her cat told her. How comforting."

Jade chuckled. "Well, that was still all guessing from my end. It wasn't until the third reason I was sure. You told me." When Lupin looked at her sharply, she ginned. "You asked how I knew."

Lupin laughed aloud. "Thank you, Jade. I neded that."

Jade smiled. "So, what's it like?"

Lupin shook his head. "Unpleasant. I'll tell you more another time, though. You need to get to your next class."

"Okay." Jade turned to go, but then turned back. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about you being a werewolf."

Lupin looked at her. "You're not at all worried about the fact that I turn into a monster three days of every month?"

Jade shrugged. "So does every witch over 13."

Lupin howled with laughter. 


	18. Mind, Body, and Heart

18. Mind, Body, and Heart

Professor Snape stared over his desk as the clock chimed the late hour. Normally, he held no classes at this time. However, this was the only available hour in the schedule to hold it. He had been even more upset when he had learned he was expected to hold the class for a single student. He had argued even further when he had learned it was for a single third year, given the advanced nature of the course. When he learned the identity of said thrid year, however, all arguements had left him completely. This was why he now stared over his desk at Jade Chan not an hour before lights out.

"Are you aware of the exact nature of the course you have signed up for?" he asked her quietly.

"Yes Professor," she replied quietly. "Oclumency is the art of mental combat. Through the use of magic, one witch or wizard attempts to gain access to the mind of another. This is most often used as a means of gleaning information, although it can also be used as a form of torture, for the joy of breaking a person. The use of it in such a manner, however, is forbidden by wizarding law."

Professor Snape nodded. "Indeed. And you understand, of course, that I will be teaching you only how to defend yourself from such attack? And that such lessons are only required of those seeking to gain employment as Aurors?"

Jade nodded. "Yes Professor."

He rested his hands on his desk. "Why did you apply for this course, Miss Chan? I hope you ddin't think I would go easy on you."

Jade shook her head. "I don't want you to, Professor. While seeing that you taught the class caught my eye...I applied for it after reading the class description. I...I need this."

Snape raised his eyebrow. "Why?"

Jade pulled the demon fire crystal from its place under her shirt. "This, Professor." The crystal's baleful fire winked in the dungeon room. "I can't leave it anywhere, not even in a place like Gringotts. It's too dangerous, and I don't dare let it fall into the wrong hands. The only place where I know if it will be safe is around my neck. The chain and clasp are enchanted, tied into the power of the crystal and my own life force. So long as I'm wearing it, the clasp will not break so long as I'm alive, and the chain is as unbreakable as the power of the crystal." She shuddered. "However, as long as I wear it...the crystal affects my mind, my thinking. If I sink too deep into negative emotions - anger, fear, sorrow - the crystal responds to - and amplifies - the emotions. I...hoped Oclumency might teach me how to seperate the crystal's influences from my thoughts, and enable me to think clearly around it."

Snape nodded slowly. "I see. Very well, Jade." He raised his wand. "As per your request, I will not go easy on you. Defend your mind as best you can." He whispered the incantation.

Jade's body tensed as she felt the mystic energies enter her mind. She knew Snape was probing her for her secrets and weaknesses. She also knew if she tried not to think about them, it would just lead him straight to them. Desperately, she cast her mind about, trying to find something to lock onto to act as a shield. Unbidden, sound and images came to her mind.

"Vrei sa pleci dar numa, numa iei Numa, numa iei, numa, numa, numa iei..."

Focusing all her thought on that, she waited as the magical probe shifted, moving around inside her mind, but by locking her thoughts, she had left no paths to go around. The probe withdrew. She took a deep breath and relaxed.

"An effective, if unusual, defense, Miss Chan," Snape was saying. "You have very good instincts for this. The first thing most students do to defend themselves is try their hardest not to think about those things they wish to hide."

Jade grinned. "Don't think about rhinoceri," she whispered.

Snape nodded. "Indeed. However, by locking your thoughts on one thing - something that had no deeper meaning and was entirely pointless - you were able to close off the rest of your mind. Now, I could have broken through and found other pathways...but for the first lesson, even a succesful first level defense is an achievment." He stared at her for a time. "Five points for Gryffindor, Miss Chan."

Jade nodded, breathing heavily. The strain on her mind had taken its toll on her body. "Will this...help me block out the crystal?"

Snape thought for a time. "Not just yet. That might be a bit more advanced than you're ready for, seeing how much this has tired you. We shall wait until you are able to mantain a third level of defense without such strain. Then we shall determine how to proceed. For now, Mr. Filch is here to escort you back to your common room. Straight off to bed, Miss Chan."

"Yes Professor," Jade said, still breathing heavily. As she pushed herself to her feet, however, her knees buckled.

Snape sighed. "I was worried this might happen. Very well. Argus, it seems you will have to carry her back to the Tower."

Jade couldn't help but smile as Mr. Filch lifted her up gently. "Are ya ever gonna learn to pace yourself, girl?" he asked gruffly as he carried her.

"Not if I can help it!" she replied back impudently.

A few days later in Transfiguration, McGonagall asked everyone to hand in their Hogsmeade permission forms. As she carried hers up, however, Jade couldn't help but shiver. "Professor," she asked as she handed hers over. "The dementors...they're guarding all the gates?"

Professor McGonagall glanced at her over her glasses. "Indeed. Every entrance and exit to school grounds."

Jade gulped. "Then...we'll have to go past them to get to Hogsmeade?"

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Yes, you will." She paused. "Jade, I'm sure we can arrange something...pairing you with someone carrying a good amount of chocolate-"

Jade shook her ehad. "It's not neccessarry, Professor." Chocolate hadn't helped barely at all the last time. She didn't want to go anywhere near the dementors. "Thanks anyway." She turned and left the classroom.

Later, she overheard Harry telling Ron and Hermione about how McGonagall had said no to him going. She walked over and sat next to him. "Well, we can keep each other company, then."

Ron looked up. "I thought you got your permission slip signed?" he asked, plainly confused.

"I did," she said simply.

"Then why-"

Harry laid a hand on Jade's shoulder. "The dementors?"

Jade nodded as Ron fell silent. "We have to go past them to get to Hogsmeade. I...I can't do it."

Hermione laid her hand over Jade's. "We'll bring you both back loads of stuff, and tell you all about it. Just...try to find something to enjoy during Halloween, okay?"

As Halloween rolled around, Jade took to wandering the corridors of Hogwarts, lost in thought. However, it was hard to find solitude when you had several worried guardian angels looking over your shoulders. Ruby never said much, as she was more prone to jabbing Jade with a claw if she felt Jade was wallowing in too much self pity. Besides, Ruby was distracted by her fascination with Crookshanks. Mr. Filch also kept an eye on her, but taking a cue from Mrs. Norris, avoided hovering.

One particular person, however, found a way to gain her excitement as Halloween approached. "Miss Chan," Professor Snape said to her as she passed, "I wondered if you might be up for a bit of a challenge?"

Jade looked up. "A challenge?" she asked, excited. She was always eager for a challenge.

"Yes." Snape led her into the dungeon. "You see, you are rather far advanced in your Potions skills, and I thought I might test just how far in advance you really are." He pulled out two copies of 'Modern Potent Potions' and set them on easels. "The potion you are looking for is on page 394. I will be preparing it at the same time in my cauldron while you work in yours. When we are finished, we will compare the brews. If you do a good enough job, you may just earn yourself some points."

Jade smirked. By now, Professor Snape understood that Jade NEVER strove to earn extra points. The challenge of a potion from this book - despite her advanced skills, he hadn't let her take it out of the Restricted Section - was all the inducement she needed. She quickly opened the book and began to turn the pages. Glancing at some of the potion names, she whistled. She recognized a few of them from Uncle's anti-demon work. These were incredibly potent brews.

Snape nodded as she flipped through. "I wouldn't normally even allow a seventh year to attempt this potion without close supervision, given it is incredibly dangerous and, if misbrewed, can have drastic side effects. However, the instructions in this book are quite thorough, and if something does go wrong you are quite quick with your Shield Charm."

Jade smiled, remembering how she had first impressed Professor Snape. Reaching the page, she paused. "Wolfsbane Draught," she read. "For taming the wild in the wolf." She looked up at Professor Snape. "You're making this for Professor Lupin, aren't you?"

Snape flinched. Then he smiled. "I should have known I couldn't sneak this by you." He nodded. "By how you asked, you know of his...condition?" Jade nodded. "As you will read, this potion allows a werewolf to retain his mind after transforming into the werewolf. The Headmaster asked me to brew this for him for the week before each full moon, so that he would not be a danger and could teach here." Snape frowned. "I wasn't happy with the arrangement."

Jade looked up at Snape for a while, trying to think how to phrase her next question. Then, as she thought about it, she found the answer. "He was friends with James, wasn't he?"

Snape grimaced. "You are uncomfortably perceptive, Miss Chan."

Jade giggled.

Snape sighed. "You should focus on the potion work now, Miss Chan."

Jade nodded and got to work. After several hours, the potion was finished. She had managed to avoid any of the catastrophic outcomes brewing could create, but she knew she had messed up. This potion was well beyond her current skill level. She sat back, trying not to meet Professor Snape's eyes as he looked over her work.

"Hmm..." he said as he examined it. "The right color, but it's much too thin...and there's too much smoke coming off of it." He dipped a measuring device into the potion and examined the results. "It has the right magical properties, but it's much too weak. He'd have to drink gallons of this to get the right effect, and that much would have...horrid side effects."

Jade blinked, wiping her eyes. "Sorry I let you down, Professor."

"Let me down?" Setting the instrument aside, Snape kneeled down at her level. "Miss Chan, weren't you listening? This is an incredibly complex and dangerous potion. Even an expert potion maker might have trouble with it the first time. I tested myself six times on this potion before I was able to brew one I felt safe for human consumption. To come this close when it was the first time you had even SEEN the recipe is little short of miraculous. I didn't expect you to make it perfect the first time: I would have been shocked beyond words if you had. Your talent for potions is extraordinary. Yes, this potion isn't useable...but nor is it dangerous in of itself. It can be safely disposed of with ease, and next month you can try again. You should rightly be proud of yourself for coming so close."

Jade blinked away her tears, smiling. "T-thank you, Professor."

Snape filled a goblet from his cauldron and set it on a tray. "As a bit of a reward for doing so well, Miss Chan, you may take this up to Professor Lupin. He should be-"

"In his office," Jade said quickly, her sense of Lupin's magic giving her his location, and the identity of his company. "He's talking to Harry."

Snape quirked up an eyebrow. "You can sense them both from here?" At Jade's nod, he smiled. "You HAVE improved," he said, impressed. He handed her the goblet. "Get it to him straight away, and make sure he drinks it. Let him know I've brewed a whole cauldronfull."

"Yes Professor," Jade said happily.

"And..." Snape paused, thinking. "Twenty points for Gryffindor, for your determination."

"Thank you Professor!" Jade said happily. Heading up the stairs, she followed her sense of the castle through every hidden path that took her closer to Lupin's office. She made good time, and she didn't spill a drop of the potion. She knocked on the door.

Harry opened the door. "Jade?" He saw the smoking goblet in her hand. "What's that?"

"Medicine for Professor Lupin," Jade said, entering as Harry stepped back. "Professor Snape brewed it up."

"And he sent you with it?" Lupin asked, his eyebrows raised. "My, my."

"Well, I was down there anyway," Jade said, carefully setting the goblet down on Lupin's desk. "He was teaching me to brew it."

Lupin's eyebrows went up. "Really? How did you do?"

Jade smiled. "It wasn't useable, but Professor Snape said I came real close."

"That is impressive," Lupin said, staring at the goblet as he held it.

Jade looked at him. "Professor Snape made a full cauldron, just in case you need more. And I'm supposed to make sure you drink it." She tilted her head down, looking up at him through her lashes. "It's not going to taste any better, no matter how long you let it steep."

With a laugh, Lupin drank some of it. He shuddered. "Snape wouldn't have taught you this Potion if he didn't think you were truely gifted," he said quietly. "If you do master it, I hope you can find a way to improve the taste."

Jade giggled. "I think that's a bit beyond me, Professor."

As she left with Harry, he asked her, "What sort of medicine was that?"

Jade paused. She promised Lupin she wouldn't mention him being a werewolf, and she meant to keep that promise...but she could tell the way the potion looked had worried Harry. She responded carefully. "Professor Lupin has a...rather insidious condition. It's difficult to treat properly. This particular potion is one of the few things that works to control the symptoms."

"What sort of condition?" Harry asked, curious.

Jade shook her head. "It's not my place to say, Harry. Professor Lupin and Professor Snape trust me on this, bringing me into their confidence. You understand why I can't tell you, right?" She looked him straight in the eye, worried he wouldn't like this answer.

He stared at her for a while, then smiled. "I trust you, Jade. I wouldn't push you to break a trust placed in you by someone else."

Jade smiled. "Thanks, Harry."

When Ron and Hermione returned, they showered Harry and Jade with the things they'd bought, and entertained them with tales of Hogsmeade. They listened with rapt attention, then went together to the feast. Jade was enjoying herself immensely, especially with the entertainment the ghosts provided. As the night drew to a close, she was sure she would sleep soundly...until she reached the portrait hole. As tired as she was, she was one of the first to reach the portrait hole and see the slashed painting and the missing Fat Lady. She also heard Peeves report to Headmaster Dumbledore with her own ears: Sirius Black had broken into Hogwarts.

After a sleepless night of worry - Jade had spent the entire night chanting her chi spell, in the hopes it might offer additional protection - she was rather tired, and had a bit of trouble focusing. Thankfully, there weren't classes that day, so she was able to mostly relax. By the day after, she was awake enough to hear how everyone was reacting to the news...and that set her right back to worrying.

Trying to get her mind off of it, she focused on the upcoming Quidditch match. Although she told herself it was her growing fascination with the game and the importance of the matches this year, she wasn't fooling herself as to the real reason she watched every Gryffindor practice. She was worried about Harry, and felt having her there as an extra protection was better than worrying up in the Tower.

Jade was probably the only one unsurprised when Professor Snape showed up to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts a few days later. While most were surprised to hear Professor Lupin was ill, Harry had found the nerve to ask, "Didn't that medicine you made him help?"

Snape glowered at Harry for a moment, then simply frowned. "The medicine can only control the symptoms, not treat them entirely, Mr. Potter." He then proceeded to teach the class his way. He obviously disliked Professor Lupin - and with what Jade knew, she could begin to guess why - but he was obviously trying to control it. When he asked for the difference between a werewolf and an Animagus, both Jade and Hermione raised their hands, Hermione faster than Jade. Professor Snape called on Jade, and she answered as best she could.

"A werewolf is a human - magical or otherwise - who is forced to change into a monstrous wolf under the light of the full moon, and only then. An Animagus, on the other hand, chooses to assume an animal form at will."

"Very good," Snape responded. "Now, can anyone tell me how one distinguishes a werewolf from a true wolf?"

Jade was unable to raise her hand for this part. She knew he was asking about physical differences, but she hadn't looked into those. After all, her magic sense had developed to the point where she could sense the difference before she even saw the wolf in question. However, she didn't know exactly how to explain the difference in what she sensed. She KNEW the difference, but the exact words to describe it didn't exist in any language she spoke.

The rest of class progressed calmly, and Professor Snape assigned a two roll essay on werewolves covering how to identify them. As everyone left the class, however, Jade packed her things rather slowly. Professor Snape came up to her when everyone else had left. "Is there a problem, Miss Chan?"

Jade swallowed. "I promised Professor Lupin that I wouldn't tell anyone about his...condition. When the others figure out from this essay...I don't want him to think I broke my promise..."

Snape sighed. "I will be sure to inform him that I gave this assignment. However, keep in mind that not every werewolf you might encounter will be in control of themselves. I can't risk the students well being for the sake of their teacher's secret."

Jade nodded. "I understand, Professor." She paused. "I know you don't like him Professor...but I do." After that, there was little for either of them to say, and Jade headed out.

When the Quidditch match came the next day, the weather was horrible. Jade didn't know how anyone could see in it, let alone fly. She struggled to see what was going on, but it was rather difficult. Finally, she stopped trying to SEE the match and focused on sensing it. Sinking into her magic, she opened her mind to the field.

This was MUCH clearer. She could easily sense every player on the field by their magic, and by combining what she sensed with the announcer's commentary, she was able to visualize the match much clearer. She could even sense the position of everyone in the crowd.

She paused as she felt the magic of the strange dog. She could feel its exact position in the stands, and its magic felt almost...human. However, before she could think about that, something far worse touched her magic.

A swarm of Dementors had descended onto the field, draining the positive energy away. Sunk in her magic as she was, she was almost immediately pulled into the dark visions the dementors filled her with. Desperate for any defense, she filled her mind with anything she could think of that was neither joyous nor sorrowful.

Off in the distance, she felt the pulse of the castle's magic. It was like a giant heartbeat, counting a steady rythm. In desperation, she locked onto it, letting it fill her mind. She counted the beats as she slowly sank into darkness.

One...and...two...one...and...two... 


	19. Shield and Sword

19. Shield and Sword

Jade awoke slowly in the Hospital Wing. Everything was quiet, and Ruby was curled up against her. Slowly, she sat up, groaning.

"Jade? You okay?"

She turned. Harry was in the next bed over. She tried to smile. "The dementors?" she asked. He nodded. "What happened?"

"...I fell off my broom..."

Jade noticed Harry's gaze lingering on the pile of broken wood and twig next to his bed. "What...what happened to it?"

"The Whomping Willow."

"Oh, Harry..." She reached over, taking his hand in hers. They stayed like that for a time.

Harry finally spoke up. "Why do the dementors effect us so badly?" he asked in exasperation. "No one else faints or falls over when they're near. Why do we?"

Jade looked away. "I'd been wondering that myself, and did some research into it. A dementor feeds on your happy thoughts and good memories, draining them away, leaving you with only the most horrible memories of your life. ...I'm guessing the horrors of our lives are just worse than anyone else we know."

"...that's why I hear my parents screams...as Voldemort murders them..."

"Harry..." Jade didn't know what to say.

"And with you..." Harry turned to look at her. "It's whatever it was that happened that made you so forlorn at the start of second year...and has something to do with that jewel around your neck." As Jade flinched back, her hand going to the crystal, he continued. "Whenever you get sad or upset, your hand goes to it, and it affects your thinking too, doesn't it? Jade, please tell me...what happened?"

Jade sighed. "I...I don't want to burden you with my pain, Harry...not when you have so much already..."

"Jade, the only thing I can do for you is hear your pain. At least let me do that."

Jade looked up into his green eyes, seeing the sincerity there. Finally she nodded. "Alright. But it's a long and complicated story. And please, don't interrupt." When Harry nodded, she began. "I suppose it all starts shortly after my 11th birthday, when my parents sent me from Hong Kong to San Fransisco to live with my uncle, Jackie, because I'd gotten out of control..."

She went on from there, explaining about how she had gone with Jackie - whether he liked it or not - pursuing the magical Talismans. She told of how Shendu was freed from the statue, reimprisoned, and destroyed. She told the tale of the Panku Box, and her involvement in sealing the other seven demon sorcerers permanently. She talked about the other artifacts she'd encountered in her travels with Jackie. She explained the spell she had learned from the Mirror of Erised, and what it could do. She told of how Shendu had been ressurected, and of what she did to him...and how it felt. At long last, she explained what she experienced when the dementors came near.

"That's...that's why I'm taking occlumency this year. I know it's a very advanced course, but the effect the demon fire crystal has on my thoughts and emotions is too much, and it makes the dementors effect on me even worse." She blinked away her tears, then gasped in shock.

Harry had climbed from his bed and come over to her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Jade," he whispered. "I wish I knew what to say or do...but I don't."

Gently, she wrapped her arms around him, feeling the warmth of his embrace. "You're here for me," she whispered back. "That's more than enough."

At the next Defense Against the Dark Arts class, everyone was happy to see Professor Lupin back on his feet and teaching, and there were loud complaints about Professor Snape's teaching. Lupin assured them they did not have to do the essay. Jade was relieved, since it meant no one would figure out Lupin's secret...although hearing Hermione say she'd already finished hers left Jade somewhat unnerved. If anyone would put it all together, it would certainly be Hermione. After class, Jade went after her to try and talk to her, but was surprised to find she'd vanished.

"Well, she was certainly in a hurry," Jade mumbled under her breath.

*You would be to if you had to dance your way to a class that was already finished,* Ruby said in her mind.

*...dance?*

*Jump left, step right.*

*...what are you talking about, Ruby?*

*Think about it, Jade. I saw the 'show' with you. I'm sure you'll remember.*

As Jade was about to quiz Ruby further, Harry came out of the classroom. "Jade! Professor Lupin said he'd teach us the spell he used to drive off the dementor on the train!"

"He is?" she asked excitedly, this news pushing Hermione's dissapearance and Ruby's comments out of her mind completely. "Wonderful! I can't wait!"

"Well, you're going to have to," Harry said with a smile. "At least till after the holidays. He's going to be busy until then."

Jade nodded sadly. "Well, I'll just stay away from any dementors until then. Shouldn't be too hard."

As the Hogsmeade trip before Christmas rolled around, Jade sighed sadly to herself. Although she was fine with missing Hogsmeade, she wasn't looking forward to watching Ron and Hermione run off to there without her and Harry. She felt the need to spend more time with her friends, to store up happy thoughts since the dementors seemed so dead set on stealing them all away. Even the time she had spent with Professor Snape brewing Professor Lupin's medicine - her batch was still too thin, although nowhere near as smoky; Snape felt that next month she might actually produce the real deal - didn't raise her spirits for long. She walked down the halls of the school, glancing idly at a statue in the hallway. It was a one eyed crone with a large hump. "Odd taste, whoever carved this," she mumbled to herself.

"Hey, Jade!"

She turned happily. "Hi Harry!" She flinched suddenly. "What's that?" She pointed at the parchment in Harry's hand. She could feel powerful magic inside it, that of four wizards, and it seemed anchored to the pulse of the school itself.

Harry smiled. "Our ticket to Hogsmeade." Glancing at it, he tapped the statue's hump with his wand. "Dissendium."

The hump opened up, and Jade saw a passageway leading downward. Harry hopped in. "You coming?"

Jade jumped in after, not about to let him explore this passage alone. "What is that parchment, Harry?"

He passed it back to her to examine. "Got it off Fred and George just now."

She examined it. "The Marauder's Map? A map of Hogwarts? Wow! This is incredible! Where did they get it?"

"Nicked it out of Filch's office."

Jade laughed. "That's Fred and George for you." She glance at it, tracing a few curves here and there. "It's not completely accurate...a few of these passages within the school aren't accessible anymore...oh, I see, that's why part of them is grayed out...so where does this passage lead?"

Harry grinned. "The cellar of Honeydukes. We're almost there, so we need to be quiet."

Jade couldn't help but grin, too, as they came up through the trapdoor, sneaking into the sweet shop. She enjoyed Ron and Hermione's shock at their sudden appearance nearly as much as Harry did. When he told them about the map, she wasn't surprised about Hermione's reaction...but when she complained about his lack of signed form, his response caught them all off guard.

"Well Jade does have a signed form, and she'd have been here last time if not for the dementors at the gates, and you're mad if you'd think I'd let a friend walk that passage alone."

Ruby, having followed her own ways to Hogsmeade, chuckled in Jade's mind. *You're redder than those blood lollipops right now, you know that right?*

*Hush!* Jade glowered at Ruby, who ignored it completely.

The four friends had a great deal of fun in Hogsmeade as Ron and Hermione took Harry and Jade around the town, pointing out all sorts of things. Jade enjoyed the breif sojourn through Zonko's joke shop, although a recent addition to Hogsmeade left her tripping over things to say.

"It's a new shop opened up here. An outlet, if you can believe that," Hermione said pointing to the building. "It's called 'No Chance.' Wierd name, but it fits with their slogan. They're selling your Lore Spheres, Jade. Is that one of the companies doing distribution for you?"

"Something like that," Jade mumbled, trying not to think about it...or about the pile of paperwork she still had to go through and send off via owl back up at the school for the business. She regretted getting the permits for the Hogsmeade outlet filed so quickly.

Eventually, they reached the Three Broomsticks, and the warm butterbear cheered them all immensely. ...but then the Minister and Teachers came in, and they overheard the story behind Sirius Black and Harry's parents. Jade understood completely why Harry had to go right back to the school after that. The joy of the outing had vanished as surely as if a dementor had sucked it up.

The next day, Jade waited with Ron and Hermione for Harry to wake up and come down the stairs. She had already written a while back to Uncle and Jackie that she would be staying at Hogwarts over the breaks this year, at least until the dementors left. Jade listened as Ron and Hermione discussed how they would approach Harry regarding what they'd overheard. Jade had her own approach for what she would say. When Harry finally came down, Ron and Hermione attempted to talk to him. She could have told them that talking about what his parents would want would be a bad idea. After the conversation seemed just about finished, Jade stood up.

"Harry, I'm not going to try to argue you into or out of any course of action. This is your heart and your life. You're the only one who can decide for yourself what to do here. ...but promise me one thing, alright?"

Harry looked over at her. "What?"

"If you do decide to go after Black...don't go alone."

Ron and Hermione stared at her in shock. Harry asked, "What?"

"Harry, you're a strong young wizard, but Black graduated from Hogwarts, while you're only a student. You can only begin to guess what kind of power he has, not to mention whatever he learned from Voldemort." Ron, as always, flinched at the mention of that name. "But I've noticed few grown wizards have trained to deal with multiple opponents. If you're going to go after him...take us with you."

"But..."

"Believe me, if it's a choice between waiting around wondering if you're going to be okay or facing the danger with you...I'm pretty sure we're all right behind you." She glanced towards Ron and Hermione who, reluctantly, nodded agreement.

Harry stared around at them, and slowly calmed down. "Alright," he said, sitting down with them.

Jade sat back, hiding a smile. She knew how Harry thought. His own life he'd risk rather recklessly, just like she would. However, knowing that the three of them would follow him into whatever danger he faced would put caution in his steps far more effectively than any number of warnings regarding his own personal safety.

They went down later that afternoon to see Hagrid...who was extremely upset about the letter he'd received regarding Buckbeak being brought before the Committee for Disposal of Dangerous Magical Creatures. Jade was incensed at the news. She - along with the others - promised their support and help preparing a defense for him. While Hermione talked about going to past cases for precedents, Jade thought maybe something a bit more...elemental might be useful, confining her research to finding a copy of the Hogwarts Teacher-Student Codex. Since the event happened at Hogwarts, and the rules at Hogwarts covered nearly everything under the sun, she was sure she would find something in here that would be of help.

When Christmas rolled around, Jade was as excited as the others, although she was rather surprised to discover that there weren't any presents from home. She pushed that from her mind, however, when she heard the fuss Harry and Ron were making. Seeing the Firebolt Harry had received, Jade couldn't help but whistle. Feeling the magic inside of it, she marveled at the intricate complexity of how every spell was woven into every other, leaving no seams where the magic might fray and give out over time. She also knew just how expensive this broom was, having inquired through her business contacts - she had considered buying it for Harry, especially after he lost his Nimbus to the Whomping Willow, but she knew he'd never accept her spending THAT much on him. It was a full quarter's profits, after all, and she needed to keep her business afloat.

It wasn't until Christmas dinner that Jade got her real surprise, though. As they sat down at the feast, Dumbledore spoke up. "Merry Christmas," he said, gesturing them to sit at the one long table with all those who were present. "As there are so few of us, it seemed foolish to use the House Tables...sit down, all of you." As they did, he grinned. "Also, I have a rather special Christmas present for a certain student. It took a bit of effort to get the permissions, but with the help of Professor Snape I was able to convince the school governers." At his gesture, Snape opened up a door into a side room and brought out several people. At the sight of them, Jade dropped her utensils.

"JACKIE!" she called happily, running forward. "Uncle! Tohru!" They were all there; Jackie, Uncle, Tohru, Viper, El Toro...even Paco. "You're all here!"

"Of course we are," Jackie said happily. "You didn't think we'd let you spend three Christmas's without us, did you?"

"Uncle always wanted to see inside of Hogwarts," Uncle said happily. "Thank you for making it possible, Jade."

As Jade laughed, Dumbledore spoke up. "If you have the time, old friend, I'd be happy to give you a bit of a tour after dinner."

Jade looked up at them all. "Did you handle going past the dementors okay?"

Tohru smiled, holding up an open vial that was emitting a silvery gold smoke. "Christmas magic. A gift from Santa Claus. It only works on Christmas, but no harmful magic can approach it."

Jade introduced everyone happily, and there were quite a few talks as everyone enjoyed dinner. Jade couldn't help but laugh at Paco's comment on meeting Hagrid. "He makes El Toro look like the Mouse Man, Yade."

As dinner slowly began to wind to a close, Jade took Uncle aside. "Uncle, can you do me a favor?"

"Certainly, Jade. What is it?"

Jade pulled out the copy of the Hogwarts Codex she'd found. "Hagrid's in a spot of trouble. His hippogriff, Buckbeak, is being brought before the Committee for Disposal of Dangerous Magical Creatures. I've found something that might help, but I thought it might work better coming from you." She pointed to the text she thought would be of use.

Uncle smiled. "Uncle is always happy to help Uncle's friends and family. Uncle will assist Hagrid in defending -"

"Buckbeak," Jade supplied, grinning. "Also, Hagrid's got a visual record of the event on a Loresphere."

Uncle grinned. "Uncle feels sorry for Uncle's opponent on this case...but not too sorry!"

Jade laughed.

While Jade had tried to convince Professor McGonagall that she would sense anything wrong with the Firebolt - she could detect the hostile energies of a jinx pretty accurately by now - the fact that she couldn't recognize all the spells in the Firebolt left her case lacking conviction. Uncle, however, agreed to stick around to aid in finding Dark Magic in the broom.

Jade managed to deal with this with some equanimity as she bid the rest of her family farewell as they headed back home. It wasn't long after that Professor Lupin scheduled a time to teach her and Harry about defending themselves against Dementors. However, he insisted on teaching them seprately, stating his concern regarding a reaction in their magics, or from the crystal. Harry would be training from eight till nine. Jade would meet from nine to ten.

At nine o'clock, Jade made her way to the History of Magic classroom, just as Harry came out. "How'd you do?" she asked him.

"I managed a sort of silvery shadow on my third try. Somewhat effective." He smiled. "I'm sure you'll do better. I bet Lupin five Galleons you beat my level of progress."

Jade smiled. "I'll make sure to win you money then, Harry. Not that you need it." With a laugh, she entered the classroom.

Professor Lupin explained the nature of the Patronus Charm to her. She understood the theory quite well, using what the dementors fed on to drive them back. The problem was the happy memory. She searched her mind, looking for something that might work. She finally settled on the day she came back to live with Jackie after her brief return to Hong Kong. "I'm ready," she told Professor Lupin.

He opened the cupboard and the dementor sailed out. She thrust forward her wand. "Expecto Patronum!" she shouted, focusing all her mind on how happy she was that day...

The darkness seeped into her mind slowly. Her parents had sent her away again...they didn't want her around...they were better off without her...everyone was better off without her...

The darkness pulled back as Professor Lupin roused her. "That wasn't really a dementor," she mumbled. "It wasn't strong enough to be one..."

"No," he responded. "It was a boggart. I didn't really expect you to get it on the first try-"

"I chose the wrong memory," she said bluntly. "It had a sorrowful taint behind the joy...a chink in the armor." She got to her feet, eating the chocolate Lupin offered her. "Let me try again."

He nodded once she finished the chocolate. "Whenever you're ready."

She thought a bit longer. She decided to use the day she'd gotten her Hogwarts letter. She could still remember how happy and excited she was that she was going to learn magic. "Alright. I'm ready."

As the dementor came out again, she held out her wand. "Expecto Patronum!"

Ever so briefly, a faint, silver shadow started to form from the tip of her wand...but then she saw in her mind the moment Uncle had told her it was a boarding school...the choice between magic and her family... The silver shadow dissolved, and the dementor approached her...

She managed to remain concious this time as Lupin drove the boggart back into the cupboard. He came to sit next to her, handing her more chocolate. "Well, it looks like I may owe Harry his five Galleons after all. Second try you managed - "

"It faded too quickly," Jade said flatly. "It's no use if it fades that fast. Let me try again." She got up. She needed a memory that would be strong, happy...and untainted by sorrow.

"Jade, I'm not sure you should," Lupin said, obviously worried. "The drain on you..."

Jade wasn't listening, however. She had the bit in her teeth. "Alohomora!" she shouted, pointing at the cupboard.

The cupboard flew open. The boggart dementor sailed towards her, slowly drawing in breath.

She focused her entire mind on the spell itself, shaping it like a net, and cast it into her memories to find the one thing that would power it to its fullest potential. ...images began to come to her.

A poem delivered by a dwarf, with the advice, "That friend's a keeper"...

A friendly stranger she would know at school...

Their adventures together in first year...

Through a cat's eyes as he leaned over her body, a mix of rage and pain in his eyes...

The joy as he came to check on her when she was revived...

The warmth and voice that drove back the darkness of her dementor visions...

The warmth of his embrace as he comforted her after hearing her story...

Bits and pieces scattered through her mind came together as a single whole. In her mind's eye, she saw a boy her age with green eyes, messy brown hair, broken glasses, and a lightning bolt scar. The image filled her with unbridled joy, driving back the darkness fo the dementor's power and the cold fire of the crystal, exploding forth from her wand.

BANG!

A blaze of silver and smoke erupted from the tip of her wand, and a small silver fox lunged straight for the boggart dementors throat. Seizing it in its jaws, the fox spun around rapidly, hurling the creature into the cupboard. The boggart slammed the cupboard doors shut and locked them itself, as the silver fox raced around, prancing and yipping happily.

Jade stared at the small creature - seemingly composed of smoke and quicksilver - as it pranced. "Is that..."

"A fully formed Patronus," Lupin said, shocked and awed. "I definately owe Harry the five Galleons now. Most impressive Jade. Very well done."

"Thank you, Professor." Jade watched the creature skip around happily for a while. Then it paused and looked up at her. It suddenly leaped into the air, somersaulted, and dissolved in a puff of silver which slowly dissipated. "I just...wish I understood why it worked so well."

"Oh?" Professor Lupin asked, raising an eyebrow. "What memory accomplished it?"

"It wasn't a single memory, it was several."

"Hmm..." Lupin thought for a time. "Did they...coallese into something just before the Patronus erupted? A single image, perhaps?"

"Yes," Jade said, still happy but confused. "It was an image of Harry." As Lupin snorted, she looked up at him. "What?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Nothing," he said, giving her a knowing smile. 


	20. Innocent

20. Innocent

Jade, like Harry, Ron, and Hermione, was quite pleased to hear that Harry's Firebolt was found to be completely dark magic free, although she had to mightily resist telling Hermione, "I told you so." When Ron came down from putting away the Firebolt, however, no one was happy. Ron was dead set on accusing Crookshanks of eating Scabbers, while Hermione was trying to defend him. Jade finally stuck her oar in.

"Ron," she said bluntly, "when was the last time you saw Scabbers?"

"This morning, I left him in my bed, shivering." Ron was truely pissed. "And then that-"

"If it happened between this morning and now, then I can tell you flat out it couldn't have been Crookshanks."

Ron, Hermione, and Harry all stared at her. "What are you talking about?" Ron demanded. "We've all been in classes-"

"Ruby's been with Crookshanks all morning, next to the Forbidden Forest behind Buckbeak's pen." Jade was not quite meeting anyone's eyes, and she was blushing a bit.

Ron stared at her, but Hermione spoke up. "What were they doing there all morning?"

Jade looked away, her face bright red. "I'd...rather not think about it." There were some drawbacks to being able to hear Ruby from anywhere. Cats, it seemed, didn't have any of the compulsions about privacy that humans did. "However..." Jade turned away. "Ron, I am sorry about Scabbers, but...if he's truely gone, then by the end of term, the kittens should be weaned if you want one."

Ron blinked. Harry tilted his head, confused. Hermione said "oh" very quietly, blushing. Ron finally spoke up. "You mean they were-"

"Ruby was in heat," Jade said bluntly. Ron was perceptive enough to let the matter drop. He did, however, apologise to Hermione for accusing Crookshanks.

Jade went down with Harry, as per usual, when he went to try out his Firebolt in Quidditch practice. She was amazed at the perfect control Harry had, and how easily he was able to perform every manuever. She applauded along with the others as he showed off. She stuck around with Harry while Ron took a ride after practice. Harry also offered her a ride, but she declined. "I've never been all that good on a broomstick, Harry. I'd rather ride Buckbeak. Then at least one of us would know what they were doing."

They laughed together as they returned to the castle. Halfway there, Ruby walked up to Jade and put her paws against her legs. Jade happily picked her up and set her on her shoulder. "No jumping?" she asked teasingly.

Ruby simply rolled her eyes. *When the kittens are weaned, I pick which one freckleface gets.*

Jade nodded. *Wouldn't dispute you on that.*

The next day, Jade sat in the bleachers along with Hermione and Ron as they watched Harry play. Jade was managing to keep track of everything easily, and loving every moment of it. As the match went on, Jade noticed something coming onto the field. It looked like three dementors, but there was no sense of dark magic.

Suddenly, Harry pulled out his wand. "Expecto Patronum!" he shouted, not even looking at the dementors.

An enormous silver-white stag erupted from his wand tip, flattening the three 'dementors' easily. At that point, Jade was able to see that they were actually Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain. Needless to say, the Patronus that had erupted from Harry's wand had scared them out of their wits.

The celebration back at Gryffindor Tower was loud and long, and even Hermione was persuaded to join in. Everyone slept deeply that night, although Ron obviously missed Scabbers. However, Jade did overhear Ruby say something to Crookshanks that left her somewhat confused.

*You can tell dogboy not to bother looking in the tower. The faker's already scampered. Better to not cause trouble if he's really not trying to.* After Ruby had said this, Crookshanks had nuzzled her and then left.

*Dogboy?* Jade asked silently.

*Don't worry about it,* Ruby replied, yawning. *The stevedore and I have got it under control.*

*...stevedore?*

*Look it up.* With that, Ruby curled up and was quickly fast asleep. Jade shortly fell asleep herself.

Harry and Jade decided they would go to Hogsmeade again when it came around, but decided to go under the invisibility cloak. However, they ran into trouble when they bumped into Neville at the statue, and then into Professor Snape.

"What are you all doing here?" Snape asked, his tone...oddly neutral. "A strange place to be meeting."

"We aren't meeting," Harry said quickly. "I was spending time with Jade, since she's still not comfortable going past the dementors to get to Hogsmeade. We bumped into Neville as we were walking, is all."

Snape's eyes, which unlike his tone had been hard, softened. "Very well. Get on with you, then. Don't hang about." He turned to leave.

Harry and Jade were able to shake Neville, and made their way to Hogsmeade. They found Ron, and were able to enjoy themselves somewhat. However, a problem occured when they were by the Shrieking Shack. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle came up, and Malfoy began teasing Ron. While Harry went to deal with Malfoy his way, Jade managed to conceal herself. She had found an old spell that turned the trick, one that was quite useful. With a whispered, "Expectus oculae," the only thing anyone would see of her as long as she held still was a snowman. Unfortunately, Harry's cloak slipped and Malfoy saw Harry's head floating there. Jade and Harry made for the passage as soon as Malfoy was out of sight.

Harry went out the other end first...and quickly closed it up as Snape approached. Jade waited a bit until they were gone, then climbed out. Meeting up with Ron, she ran with him to help Harry explain away the map and Zonko's packet. While Professor Snape left, Professor Lupin obviously knew about the Marauder's Map and confiscated it. Harry was willing to accept that. Jade, however, began to have some suspicions. Although the magic in the map was blended and hard to pick out, there was something familiar about it...

The head of the Committee for Disposal of Dangerous Magical Creatures banged his gavel. "Next case," he called as the committe members looked on.

The court recorder spoke up. "Case docket #37594: Lucius Malfoy vs. Rubeus Hagrid on the matter of the Hippogriff, Buckbeak. Additional counsel for the defense: Uncle, chi wizard, apprentice of Chi Master Fung."

There were a few whispers as the name was mentioned, and Lucius obviously looked a little pained. Uncle sat next to Hagrid, smiling to himself, his hand on a copy of the Hogwarts Codex.

"The court will hear opening statements." He turned towards Uncle.

Uncle waved his hand. "Prosecution may go first," he said with a smile.

At the nod of the committee head, Lucius stood up. "This hippogriff brutally savaged my son without provocation while he was attending this man's so called class, and lost the use of his arm for months. This creature is dangerous, a menace, and should be destroyed. I am sure such good, honorable men as you all are won't hesitate to find the truth." His last statement was said with a smooth smirk, and the committee members shivered.

Uncle then stood up. "Uncle will prove Buckbeak not dangerous creature. One more thing, Uncle have evidence to present that will back up statement. One more thing, Uncle not like how proceedings being handled; too much noise. One more thing, Uncle not like Malfoy's implication that Uncle not have honor!" He glowered at Malfoy. "Uncle defend the truth, and Malfoy imply Uncle defending lie. Uncle not like!"

The committee head banged his gavel. "Shall we get on to the presenting of evidence?"

Malfoy stood up. "I have several eye witnesses to the attack, and a medical report of the injury and how long my son was unable to use his arm. I would like to call-"

"Uncle objects!" Uncle raised his hand. "Uncle does not think witnesses who are friends of Malfoy and son can be trusted, as may be prejudiced in his favor!"

"Oh, and witnesses who are friends of Hagrid would be any less?" Malfoy asked with a sneer.

Uncle grinned. "Uncle does not intend to call witnesses. Uncle only intends to present evidence."

The committee head consulted with the others, then turned back. "He's got a point. If the defense doesn't intend to call witnesses, then the prosecution can't either. The trial has to be fair." He quailed a bit at Lucius' glare.

Lucius calmed down. "Very well, then I submit the medical report as evidence."

The committee head turned to Uncle. "The evidence for the defence?"

"Uncle presents Defense exhibits A and B," he said, gesturing to the Codex and Hagrid's staff. "First, exhibit A, Hogwarts Teacher-Student Codex. The pertinent material is page 1,749." He handed it to the committee head. "Read, please."

Raising an eyebrow, he read it aloud. "Regarding the Care of Magical Creatures class. Rule 1: the act of signing up for this class is taken as acceptance of suitable risk and reasonable injury, as the students will be taught how to handle magical creatures in their natural state, and many such creatures are capable of doing harm. See appendix C, the reasonable injury index, for more information. Rule 2: it is a student's responsibility to hear and heed all directions given by the teacher during class or, if missed, seek confirmation of instructions. Rule 3-"

"The pertinent passage is Rule 37, subsection G," Uncle said helpfully.

Scanning down, the committee head read. "Subsection G, regarding creature provocation: if a student is suitably warned regarding how to behave around a creature, and the student ignores said warnings and becomes injured as a result, the student is responsible for said injury, as the creature is considered provoked. Subsection H: if a creature draws human blood, it may no longer be used as a teaching animal."

Uncle nodded. "And now, Uncle presents Exhibit B." He lifted Hagrid's staff. Standing up on a chair, he touched the sphere on top. "September 4, 1:30 pm."

The sphere glittered, glowed...and projected an image of the class in question around everyone. The image of Hagrid spoke. "Now, hippogriff's are proud creatures. If you insult them, they'll savage you."

"1:45," Uncle said calmly.

The image quickly scrolled forward in time, and they were able to watch the class go by until the moment in question came. "I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you," Malfoy was saying, "you great ugly brute?" Buckbeak reared, slashing Malfoy across the arm.

Taking his finger from the loresphere, Uncle turned as the image vanished. "These images as captured by this Loresphere clearly demonstrate Uncle's point. Draco Malfoy insulted Buckbeak, provoking an attack. One more thing, Hogwarts Codex clearly states that 'savaging' involves loss of limb or sensory organ. One more thing, a single gash across arm is rated as 'reasonable injury,' as is anything that can be healed within moments, irregardless of lingering phantom pain. One more thing-"

"No more things!" Lucius snapped, irate.

Uncle gasped. "You interrupt Uncle as he is presenting his evidence without an objection? You insult Uncle's honor? Uncle cannot accept this! If Uncle cannot be treated with even a modicum of respect, then Uncle will have to move for mistrial, and we will have to do this all over again!"

"Aiyah!" the committee gasped in stereo.

In the end, once everything had quietted down, the committee could only come to one decision. "This court finds that the hippogriif, Buckbeak, is under adequate controls in its current situation. However, as it can no longer be used as a teaching animal, it cannot be kept at Hogwarts. Rubeus Hagrid has until the end of this school term to prove adequate controls in place at alternate site or register it with a new owner. Failing that, the creature will have to be reclassified as dangerous and executed, as a magical creature that has drawn human blood can not be released back into the wild. This court is adjourned."

Hagrid sighed. "Well, out of one frying pan and into another. Thanks for your help, Uncle."

Uncle smiled. "Any time, Hagrid. Now go teach good classes to my niece."

"You got it!"

Jade was very happy to hear from Hagrid the results of the case during the next Care of Magical Creatures class, as was Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Malfoy was obviously just as incesned as his father had been at the court. Hagrid led them all to an open area on the grounds.

"Now," he told them excitedly, "we've covered hippogriffs, and you're all a dab hand at flobberworms now. Next up I've got a real treat for ya. This fella's come all the way from Romania, sent by Charlie Weasley to beef up the defenses here at Hogwarts, since Dumbledore won't let the dementors on school grounds. Now, I got special permission to use him to teach you all about 'im and those like him." He turned to the sky and whistled shrilly.

A loud roar broke the air and a huge black shadow passed over them all. As everyone looked up, the source of the shadow tilted his wings, spilled air, and landed gracefully next to Hagrid, backwinging as he surveyed the students. The dragon that landed was lizardlike in appearance, over 30 feet in length from nose to tail, had prominent black ridges along his spine, and piercing, intelligent yellow eyes.

Hagrid beamed up at him as he spoke. "Everyone, this is Norbert. He's a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon, and starting today, I'll be teaching you about him and other breeds." Hagrid was grinning from ear to ear.

Jade grinned as well. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were happy but nervous. Malfoy was pissing himself. 


	21. Truth

21. Truth

Shortly before the Quidditch final, Jade awoke with a rather heavy weight on her blankets. She hadn't slept well, and as she started to turn, she went to throw her blankets off of her.

*Don't you dare,* Ruby's voice crackled in her mind before she'd moved so much as a muscle. *If you harm even one of these precious bundles, familiar or not I will slit your throat.*

Jade froze instantly as her eyes flew open. Looking down along her blankets, she gasped in awe. Ruby was curled up on the blankets - leaving just enough room for Jade to slip quietly out of them - with four tiny varicolored kittens quietly suckling at her teets. Carefully, Jade slipped out of the blankets so as not to disturb Ruby's motherly care. "Ruby, they're adorable," Jade whispered breathlessly.

*Of course they are,* Ruby said calmly. *They're mine. Make yourself useful and get me some food, will you? Even the house elves won't be up for another hour.*

Eagerly, Jade rushed over to her trunk, getting Ruby's food out and filling her bowl before bringing it over. Her noise awoke the other girls in the dorm. While at first they were upset about the noise, the moment they saw the kittens all irritation was forgotten. Ruby looked on tolerantly as the third-years made much over her first litter. While they were all allowed to look, Ruby passed on her warning through Jade that anyone who tried to touch had best count their fingers afterward.

Before long, a house elf arrived with a carry basket just big enough to place Ruby and her kittens in so that she could easily be moved about. With help from the house elf - who made nearly as much over the newborn kittens as the girls had - Ruby and her kittens were transferred to the basket. As they did, Ruby gave her kittens another careful once over.

*This one,* she said at last, carefully licking the only calico in the litter. *She has the strongest magic. She will do well as a wizard's familiar. Once she is weaned, I will instruct her in what she needs to know to take care of freckleface.*

Jade smiled. *Thank you,* Jade said silently. As she carried the basket down to the common room - prepared for another bout of fuss over the kittens - she breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure Ruby would agree to that.

*I wouldn't make a liar out of you.* As usual, Ruby knew Jade's thoughts. *Besides, he needs a keeper, and I know he'll do well by her. Hmm...* She examined the other three carefully; a pure white male, a bright orange female, and a midnight black male. *The black one has weak inherent magic, but strong magic sense and powerful instincts: he should go with the bald eagle.* That was how Ruby refferred to Captain Black. *The orange one has a powerful connection to her chi; she will go to our gentle giant now that he has his own place as a chi wizard. The white boy has the most powerful sense of smell, and a powerful magical instinct; he goes with tall, pale and gloomy.* Jade grinned at Ruby's nickname for Professor Snape. As much as she liked the Potions teacher, she had to admit the description suited him. *You will take us with to the Quidditch match, of course, won't you? Don't worry about the kittens. I can sheild against the noise. But I'm not letting you out of my sight.*

Jade nodded. She wasn't about to argue with her cat.

After the Quidditch match - where the Gryffindors pulled off a spectacular victory - preperation for finals began. The finals for the more basic classes - Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Herbology - passed without incident. The finals for Jade's extra classes proved to be more...interesting. The first to come up was Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid had a surprise test for them.

"Now, you've all learned quite a bit about magical creatures, so this will be a practical test." He smiled as Norbert came in for a gentle landing. "Now, as you know, several magical ingredients are frequently harvested from dragons - blood, sclaes, saliva, and other internals. Now, blood, scales, and saliva can all be harvested while the dragon is still alive, and that's the preference, as the magic is more potent then. The preferred method is to make sure the dragon is asleep -"

Norbert promptly flopped onto his back, closing his eyes and letting off a comical snoring sound. This got a round of laughter from the class, who by now was used to Norbert's unusual antics and attention seeking behavior.

Hagrid glowered up at Norbert. "I'm trying to teach about how dragons ACTUALLY behave, Norbert." Norbert promptly rolled onto his stomach. "Anyway," Hagrid continued, "once the dragon is asleep, the harvesting is done thusly." Walking up, Hagrid ran his hands over Norbert's scaly hide until he found one that was near to being shed, and gently worked it free. Walking up to Norbert's mouth, he held up a vial and collected some saliva dripping from the teeth. "If you can't find enough saliva on the teeth, you can also squeeze a little off the tongue with a set of tongs. Now, blood's the tricky part. The only part of a dragon soft enough to draw blood from is right here." He pointed to Norbert's gums. "Now, as you can imagine, having a needle there would hurt like all get out, and if you don't go at it carefully, you're dragon food. So, here's how you do it. First, you take a swab of this stuff-" he held up a green bottle "-and wipe it on the spot you're gonna work on, right between two teeth. Then, you take the needle, slip it in slowly and carefully so as not to wake the beastie, and draw the blood." Hagrid demonstrated these steps carefully. Norbert didn't so much as twitch. "Now, here's today's final exam. Norbert will be in the nest I've made for him, feigning sleep. I will be watching. Each of you are to collect one scale, one vial of saliva, and one ounce of blood. Syringe's and vials are already set up. If you're pushin too hard with the syringe, Norbert will let you know by raising a claw by his mouth, so keep an eye out for it. If he opens his eyes, you've woken up the dragon, and you flunk that part of the exam. You can collect a scale from Norbert or a discarded one from his nest if you ain't so confident. Alright, whenever you're all ready."

The exam passed without incident, with most of the students managing to collect the required samples without problems, although a few of the Slytherins pushed too hard with the needle and flunked the blood collection. Malfoy, however, proved to be too impatient at his turn. Having seen what looked like easy successes, he skipped the anesthetic and jabbed the needle into Norbert's gums. With a roar, Norbert snapped him up in his mouth.

"Norbert!" Hagrid called. "Spit him out right now!"

Norbert looked down at Hagrid, then spit Malfoy out. As Malfoy started to complain, Hagrid spoke up. "He didn't even break the skin anywhere on ya. I gave ya fair warning what to do here, and you blatantly disregarded 'em." Hagrid grinned. "While ya didn't get no blood, you sure got plenty o' saliva."

Malfoy glowered around before stomping off as everyone laughed.

Jade's Divination final also passed without anything of note. She sat at the crystal ball as she was supposed to, staring into it. Trying to shut out Professor Trewalney's mysticism, Jade focused all her mind on the crystal ball.

A face leapt out from within the mists. Pale skin, green hair, blood red eyes glowing with hate. A wand tip appeared in the image, and green light leapt from the tip...

Jade pushed back from the table and the crystal ball, breathing heavily. As she told Professor Trewalney what she saw, she was told that she had forseen her own death at that man's hands. She recieved full marks. Jade decided she didn't trust Trewalney's interpretation.

In Ancient Runes, Jade was asked to interpret the meaning and usage of several advanced runes. As each of these were ones she had used in crafting the seventh level seal on her right arm, she was able to accomplish this with ease.

Her Occlumency final was a bit more tricky. As she was tackling magic normally reserved for sixth years, there wasn't a realistic way to test her aptitude...especially as she had already managed a fourth level defense, and could mantain third level without strain. "I think," Snape said as he looked at her carefully, "that instead of a final exam, we shall see what can be done about seperating the fire demon crystal's influence from your thoughts. I don't know how succesful we will be, but as that is why you took this class in the first place..."

Jade nodded, ready for it. On a nearby table, Ruby's basket sat, the kittens curled up fast asleep for once. The kittens were now six weeks old, and had begun the weaning process. Ruby gave Jade instrunctions on how to assist, which generally boiled down to, *Fetch.* One of the kittens - the pure white male - had awakened upon arriving in Snape's classroom, and watched the proceedings with wide eyed fascination.

Snape glanced over at the kitten, smiled briefly, then turned back to Jade. "Now, is there any point at which you are certain that the crystal had no influence on your thoughts whatsoever?"

Jade nodded. "When I had my Patronus summoned. My mind was completely clear then."

Snape nodded. "Makes sense. Since the dementors generate the greatest impact from the crystal, their opposite minimizes it. Now, what image or memory did you use to conjure your Patronus?"

Jade looked down, fiddling with her wand. "Umm...it was a series of memories that coalesced...into an image of Harry." Looking up, Jade saw a sad but knowing smile on Professor Snape's face. "That tells you something, doesn't it?" Jade demanded. "What is it?"

Snape shook his head. "I take it Professor Lupin didn't tell you either?" Jade shook her head. "I'm sure in your research and studies you have come across magic that cannot be taught, only learned?"

Jade nodded. "Yeah. It makes sense. A lot of the magics mentioned, I get the impression that a large part of the magic involves a leap of faith of some sort to fully unlock. This applies to most of the ancient and powerful magics that are nearly forgotten to time."

Snape nodded. "This is one of those things. You can only come to understand this on your own. If I were to explain it to you, it would invalidate the explanation."

Jade nodded. "Strange...but I think I understand."

Snape smiled. "However...how did you come to use that sequence of images?"

"I shaped the spell weave of the Patronus like a net," Jade explained, "and cast it through my thoughts to collect that which would give it the most power."

Snape sat up, his eyes wide. "You...shaped the Patronus Charm?"

Jade nodded. "I could feel the shape it was trying to take in my wand, and expanded it into my head to gain power."

Snape held up his wand. "Show me." He initiated the spell to probe Jade's thoughts.

This probe wasn't painful, as it was simply there, waiting for Jade to guide it. Focusing on the Patronus Charm, Jade called up the spell weave. In her thoughts, it appeared as a ghostly silver web, just barely there, waiting for a powerful image to ignite it to silver white fire. Carefully, Jade expanded the web into the net she had used before.

Snape watched carefully, an idea forming in his mind. *Where does the crystal's influence come from?*

The mindscape shifted, and Snape stood on a barren field, a pulsing red crystal in its center. Jade's face - contorted demonically as in Jade's dementor visions - stared out in defiance from the crystal's depths. The ground around the crystal pulsated as the red light attempted to convert it to crystaline formations.

Snape stared at the image, thinking. *Can you shape the web around the crystal? And layer it?*

The Patronus spell web floated over to the crystal and wove itself around it, over and over again, forming a pale white shimmer of layered light between the crystal and the mindscape. Though the crystal continued to pulse with red light, that light no longer went beyond the silver web.

Snape stared for a time. *It needs to be anchored...*

Three statues rose out of the ground surrounding the crystal. One statue looked exactly like Jade's uncle, Jackie Chan. Another looked exactly like Harry Potter. The third was an exact replica of Serverus Snape. The three layers of Patronus magic anchored themselves to the three statues.

Snape watched as the light pulsed for a time, the magic holding steady. He smiled. *Short of being swamped by a horde of dementors, I think this will hold quite nicely.* He released his spell.

He was back in his own body, in his classroom. Jade was breathing heavily. He smiled at her. "Very well done, Jade. I think I can safely give you an excellent grade."

"Thank you, Professor." Getting up, Jade carried Ruby's basket out of the room.

Two weeks after the end of Finals, as term was winding down, Ron received a note from Hagrid asking for the four friends to stop by his hut, as he'd found something of interest to them. Ruby felt confident enough in her kittens stability at eight weeks old to leave them behind in the Gryffindor common room in a fenced off area the Weasley twins had devised...although Jade privately suspected that Ruby was just desperate for some time away from four mewling younglings always wanting their mother's attention.

When they reached Hagrid's hut, he waved them in eagerly past where Buckbeak was tethered. "Any luck finding him a new home?" Jade asked hopefully.

Sadly, Hagrid shook his head. "Few wizards are rich enough to take in a Hippogriff, and those that are aren't interested." He shook himself off and grinned. "But that's not why I brought ya all here. Look who I found!" He pulled out an overturned milk jug, reaching under it and quickly grabbing the scrabbling creature within.

"Scabbers!" Ron called out happily as he took his rat back into his arms. "There you are! Where you been, buddy?" He began petting Scabbers happily.

Ruby, however, kept her eyes on Scabbers, her tail swishing angrily. *I thought he had left for good,* she grumbled in Jade's mind angrily.

Scabbers, seeming to sense Ruby's hostility, began to scramble around in Ron's hands. Jade picked Ruby up. "Easy, Ruby. Scabbers is no threat."

*Yet.* Ruby continued to watch Scabbers, but made no other show of hostility. Scabbers slowly calmed down.

After chatting with Hagrid for a bit longer, they bid goodbye as they needed to get back to the castle. As they walked up towards the castle, Jade glanced towards Hermione. The strain Harry and Ron had mentioned was plainly visible. Jade didn't know what was causing it, but she hoped Hermione found a way to fix it, as she was obviously beginning to fray at the seams.

As Jade felt a sudden surge of hostile energy, she turned her eyes forward. Plainly visible in the fading light was the large black dog Jade had first sensed at the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. Like before, his magic felt very human to her. However, before she had a chance to react, the dog had leapt at them, seizing Ron and dragging him off. They tried to catch up, but were blocked as the dog ducked into the passage beneath the Whomping Willow.

As they struggled, Crookshanks arrived, ducking between the branches to touch a knot at the base, freezing the tree. They followed the passage through up into the Shrieking Shack. When they got there, they received Ron's warning too late, and were ambushed by Sirius Black.

Jade managed to retain her wand, but could see Harry's rage wouldn't be contained so easily. However, the revelation of Sirius as the dog - as an Animagus - answered several questions for Jade, and she laid a calming hand on Harry's arm. "Harry," she said quietly, "there's more going on here than you know. I've just put it together myself. Please, calm down, and wait to hear what I have to say?"

Sirius watched calmly as Harry's rage slowly cooled. "Alright Jade," he said calmly. "Let's hear it."

Jade smiled. "Not just yet. We need to wait for two more people who will be here soon." Walking over to a shelf nearby, she reached into her pocket and set a loresphere on it.

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Professor Lupin and Professor Snape. They're both on their way here already; Lupin just outside the door, and Snape at the Willow."

As she spoke, Professor Lupin stepped in. "I really must learn to stop underestimating you, Jade."

Sirius looked up. "Remus, listen-"

"Story time can wait until Professor Snape gets here," Jade said calmly. "If you truely want the truth told, you'll behave till he gets here."

Sirius looked at Jade with raised eyebrows...then sat calmly in the corner. Turning, he tilted his head and wiggled his ears at Lupin. Lupin responded by laughing and nodding.

*They were speaking wolf,* Ruby said in Jade's mind. *They must know it from dogboy being dogboy and wolfman being a werewolf. Apparently, tall pale and gloomy isn't the only one who thinks you're a lot like scarboy's mom.*

Jade managed to glower at this, but at that moment, Professor Snape burst in. His eyes took in the scene rapidly, but before his temper overtook him, he noticed Jade standing there - somehow in control of the situation - and the loresphere on the shelf. "Miss Chan, explain."

"Only a small part of the truth has been known until now. It's time it was all known. Professor, I know you don't like either of these men, but I have one thing to tell you before you decide what to do, and know what I have to say to be true." Snape remained silent, and Jade spoke. "My magic sense reveals surrounding me: one fully trained wizard; two half trained wizards; one half trained witch; two cats; one werewolf; and two Animagi, one in human form, one in animal form."

As Sirius' eyes widened at Jade's proclamation, Snape lowered his wand. "I would like to hear this explanation, if you please."

Jade turned to SIrius. "I believe it's time for you and Professor Lupin to explain everything. Start when Lupin's lycanthropcy led you, Peter Pettigrew, and James Potter to become unregistered Animagi, if you please."

As everyone's eyes widened, Lupin cleared his throat and began the tale.

Harry listened in relative shock as first Lupin and then Sirius explained the full story. Out of respect for Jade, he kept his silence, despite how unbelievable he found the story to be. However, as he listened, it all began to make sense, and Jade's assertion that there was another Animagus in the room added verisimilitude to the tale.

At long last, as Sirius finished the tale with how Peter Pettigrew escaped and made it look like Sirius was the true Death Eater, Harry spoke up at last. "So you're saying Ron's rat...is Peter Pettigrew? And has been all along?"

Jade responded before Sirius could. "Ruby knew when she first saw him that he wasn't an ordinary rat. It's why she hissed at him when she first saw him."

"Clever cats, the both of them," Sirius said calmly. "They've been helping me move around undetected at Hogwarts this semester...although your Ruby would only give her help if I obeyed her rules. I could speak to her while in animal form, and she made it clear she'd gouge out my eyes if I hurt someone in her care."

Harry smiled as Jade laughed. "She's a bit overprotective," Jade said depreciatingly.

At this point, Ron was looking at Scabbers askance. While the story itself was hard to swallow, Jade's insistence that Scabbers was really a human had him half convinced. "So...how are you going to prove it?" Ron asked.

"Like this," Lupin said, taking Scabbers in his hands. With Sirius, he touched his wand to the rat. With a flash, it transformed into Peter Pettigrew.

The truth quickly came out, as the terrified Wormtail revealed everything as he begged for his life. Even Snape was viewing Pettigrew with barely concealed hatred. As Pettigrew begged each of them for his life, he finally came to Jade. "Sweet girl, clever girl," he said, crawling over to her. "You figured it all out, surely you can see I had no choice? You won't let them kill me, will you?" He clutched at her robes in a strange supplication.

"You dare!" Snape snapped, his voice dark and furious, a few degrees removed from the crack of doom. WIth a snap, his magic lashed Pettigrew, knocking him head over heels away from Jade. Snape had his wand out and leveled at Pettigrew.

In the end, Harry convinced Sirius not to kill Pettigrew, to instead take him up to Hogwarts to prove Sirius' innocence. Eventually, everyone agreed to this course of action. Snape picked up the Loresphere. "I wouldn't try to run, Peter," he said calmly. "Even if you do escape, the truth will still out." He slipped the sphere into his pocket.

Snape and Lupin bound Pettigrew up and between them, walking him carefully out the passage. Harry walked with Sirius, slowly coming to grips with what had happened. When Sirius mentioned that - as his godfather - he was Harry's legal guardian, and Harry could move in with him, if he wanted to. Harry's enthusiasm at this suggestion brought laughter back into Sirius, and Harry could see it made Jade smile as well.

However, when they made it out, Lupin caught sight of the full moon. "Idiot!" Snape hissed as Lupin shuddered. "You didn't take your potion, did you?" He tried to cut Lupin free, but as Lupin changed a stray backhand knocked Snape aside, thankfully not cutting.

Sirius shifted to his animal form to keep Lupin in check, and Ruby lended a paw, leaping onto Lupin's back and...sparking. Harry wasn't sure what that was about, but it plainly caused Lupin minor pain, as he quickly fled. In the confusion, however, Pettigrew made his escape. Sirius, Harry, and Jade chased after him, Snape coming close behind as Hermione tried to tend to Ron.

Harry was gasping as Jade outpaced her...but then he heard her scream, and he couldn't run fast enough.

He arrived at the scene, seeing a swarm of dementors descending on Sirius and Jade. Sirius was back in his human form, already shaking. Jade had her wand out. "Expecto Patronum!" she called out, and her Patronus leapt forth from her wand, keeping the dementors at bay.

Harry also conjured his own somewhat pathetic Patronus, but both were beginning to fail from the sheer mass of dementors. Suddenly, the crystal around Jade's neck pulsed, and she screamed. Her Patronus vanished, and she fell to the ground, shuddering.

"JADE!" The sound ripped from Harry's throat as his own knees collapsed and his Patronus vanished. He could see the dementors approaching and he saw Jade and Sirius shuddering in their presence. Then...Jade's shudders slowed...and stilled.

The world was overcast with a white sheen. Harry could see quite clearly. Jade was dying. The dementors were causing it. The dementors had to be removed. Harry's mind went blindingly clear. Failure wasn't a possibility. He would succeed.

As his head snapped up, the dementors pulled back, seemingly afraid. He raised his wand to the heavens. His voice echoed around the grounds as he cried, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

The silver light erupted...not from Harry's wand, but from his entire body as the white sheen of the world solidified as a massive silver-white stag that lunged for the dementors. Not content with driving them off, the Patronus was plainly trying to destroy them if they didn't flee fast enough. An unearthly keen erupted as the silver stag's horn tore a long gash on one of the dementor's, spilling a strange, blue gray substance that smoked as it fell. The dementors fled.

At long last, with all the dementor's gone, Sirius and Jade's breathing returned to normal. As the Patronus vanished, his vision went completely white. He then fell over, his arm falling protectively over Jade before everything went dark. 


	22. Freedom

22. Freedom

Severus couldn't believe he was going along with this. He hated Sirius with a passion that was almost holy. He had been pleased beyond measure to hear he had been incarcerated in Azkaban. Despite this, here he was, helping to exonerate him, carefully walking the bound Peter Pettigrew out the passage from under the Whomping Willow.

It was Jade, of course. Somehow, the time he spent teaching her had changed him. Never before would he have ever considered altering the views that had shaped most of his life, led him to join the Death Eaters...and then change sides. Now, however...little by little he was looking at the world through slightly different eyes. When Peter had tried to beg Jade for his life...Severus had been ready right there to kill him. The rage that had consumed him in that moment had surprised even him. What had been more shocking to him, though, had been seeing how Sirius and Lupin had both reacted to Pettigrew's actions. It seemed to Severus that the only reason that it was he who had knocked Wormtail away from Jade was because he was closest and fastest.

His thoughts were interrupted as the clouds parted and Remus' eyes were seized by the full moon. "You idiot!" he hissed, speaking of himself as well as Remus. "You didn't take your potion!" He tried to sever Remus from his bonds to Pettigrew, but a backhand to his chin knocked him away. He carefully checked his face, and was relieved to find no cuts. He cursed his clumsiness as Pettigrew got a hold of his wand and used it to allow himself to change form and escape. He pursued as Jade, Harry, and Sirius pulled ahead in the chase. Severus wasn't able to keep up, as he had never been that physically active...but on hearing Jade's scream, he pushed himself to a speed he didn't know he had in him.

He arrived on the scene just in time to see Jade's Patronus struggling to keep the dementors at bay...and then fail. He saw her collapse, and saw Harry fall soon after. Severus readied his wand. While he had never been able to conjure a Patronus, he knew of one particular spell he could cast that would be effective in driving off the dementors. The cost to himself would be excruciating...but he was not about to let the dementors get Jade. He prepared his spell. "Estusa-"

The dementors flinched back from Potter, and he raised his wand. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Severus stared in shock as the massive Patronus leaped forth from Harry's entire body. He watched in awe as it tor after the dementors, seeking their blood. He tried not to stare at the discovery that dementors actually did have blood, a blue gray acid that killed the plant life and ground upon which it fell so nothing would grow. He knew there was only one magic that could possibly grant that much power to a Patronus...an old magic that could only be invoked on behalf of another, with a willingness to sacrifice all. As the Patronus slowly faded, Harry slumped over, his arm falling protectively over Jade.

Acting quickly, Severus conjured stretchers and levitated the three of them up towards the school, stopping breifly to gather Ron and Hermione. He got them all to the Hospital Wing, and when Minister Fudge - summoned by Dumbledore - arrived, he pulled out the Loresphere. "Minister, I believe there is something you need to see..."

Harry awoke slowly in the Hospital Wing, his vision blurry. At first he couldn't quite remember what was going on, but his memory returned rapidly. "Jade?" he called as he tried to sit up.

"Here," she whispered from the next bed. Someone had talked Madame Pomfrey into pushing the two beds together, and she reached across to touch his hand. "I'm okay Harry. Are you?"

Harry nodded, relieved to see that Jade was well. As the white faded from his eyes, he glanced around. "Sirius?"

"No, she's positive," his godfather said from across the room, startling a laugh from Ron in the next bed. Looking up, Harry could see Sirius grinning at him. "You alright, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. A little dizzy and lightheaded, but other than that, fine. What about you, Sirius? ...Pettigrew escaped..."

"It will avail him very little," Professor Snape said from teh door. "Cornelius Fudge has already seen incontrovertable proof in the form of images recorded in Miss Chan's loresphere that Peter Pettigrew lives and is an unregistered Animagus. That, along with my own testimony, has started things moving. By the end of term, your name will be cleared and you will be a free man."

Sirius looked calmly at Professor Snape, and swallowed. "Serverus," he began.

"Don't," Snape interrupted him. "I didn't do it for you." With that, he turned and left.

Sirius shrugged his shoulders and turned to Jade. "I guess I owe you my thanks then," he said happily, causing a startled giggle from Jade and Hermione. "If there's anything I can do for you, name it."

Jade smiled. "Well, there's nothing really for me." She paused. "But..." Her face took on a calculating look that made Harry nervous. "You got Harry the Firebolt, right?"

As Harry and Ron goggled and Herione shouted "I told you so!" Sirius grinned. "Figured that out, did you?"

Jade grinned. "Well, if you can afford that, perhaps you can do an eensy weensy favor for a dear friend of mine. You know Hagrid, right?"

As Sirius nodded, Harry grinned. "Buckbeak?" he asked Jade.

Smiling warmly, she nodded. "Buckbeak."

Sirius looked around at all the smiling faces, confused. "Buckbeak?"

As the rest of term wound down, a great deal of paperwork got shuffled. Sirius' official release papers took quite a while to process, as well as the details regarding his being an unregistered Animagus. While Dumbledore was able to convince Fudge to commute any punishment in that regard under 'time served,' he still had to register his animal form and pay a few fines. The adoption of Buckbeak also took some time, although Hagrid was happy to learn of Black's innocence and happy to let him take Buckbeak...and return his motorcycle.

Although everything seemed to be going great, in the end Harry still took the Hogwarts Express back to King's Cross. There were some emotional moments as Jade passed two of Ruby's kittens - now fully weaned - to those who had been chosen to adopt them. Professor Snape had shown a surprising gentleness as he handled the small white male chosen for him, who he dybbed Orion. Ron had shown great eagerness on recieving the Calico and - after consulting with Hermione, Jade, and Harry regarding names - had finally settled on calling her Tigerlily, although he mostly called her Tiger.

At King's Cross, he sighed as he saw the Dursley's glaring at him. Despite everything, it seemed that he couldn't quite yet move in with his godfather...

Everyone was startled as a large motorcycle with a sidecar pulled up, jumping onto the platform and skidding to a halt between Harry and the Dursleys. Sirius grinned from the seat. "Coming Harry?"

Grinning, Harry loaded his trunk into the sidecar - which on close inspection was obviously enchanted to hold much more than its dimensions allowed - and hopped in himself. As he did so, Uncle Vernon approached. "Just who do you think you-"

Sirius turned, a brand new wand sliding out of his sleeve to land easily in his hand. "I'm Harry's godfather," he said simply. "James and I were great friends at school." As Vernon pulled back, his eyes flicking from Sirius' face to his wand, Sirius grinned. "I take it you've seen me on television?" With that last remark, he revved the motorcycle and took off down the street, leaving a great many people talking.

As Sirius drove down the street towards his home, he grinned at Harry. "That was some Patronus you conjured," he said in an aside as he drove. "Remus teach you that?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. ...you saw it?"

Sirius nodded. "I did. I was aware enough to make it out once it drove off the last of the dementors. Looking at it, it was like James had returned to save us." He looked Harry in the eye. "But how'd you manage to put that much power into it? And why'd the dementors flinch back before you cast it?"

Harry sat, thoughtful. "I'm not sure, but...a few times, something wierd's happened with my magic. My mind goes completely clear, and the whole world seems to have a white sheen to it. ...it always happens when Jade is in danger."

Sirius frowned, unwelcome thoughts bouncing through his mind. Shoving them aside fro the moment, he grinned at Harry. "We're here," he said happily, pulling into his driveway.

After happily showing Harry around the house - and getting Krecher to make a fabulous dinner - Sirius picked out a room for Harry and got him settled in. After Harry was asleep, however, Sirius sat back, letting the thoughts return. At last, he did the only thing he could. Grabbing parchment and quill, he wrote.

"Albus,  
From what I have talked with Harry about, I believe he has access to powerful, dangerous magic...the same magic Lily invoked to save him from Voldemort. I would like to discuss this with you when convinient.  
Sirius."

Folding up the letter, he addressed it and sent it off with Hedwig. Picking up his copy of the 'Daily Prophet' that arrived home before he did, he went out to Buckbeak's paddock to read, idly stroking the hippogriff's head as he did so. He saw the article regarding his exoneration, and the one warning about Peter Pettigrew. Somehow, while the news was hopeful, Sirius was filled with a nameless dread.

Wormtail made his way through the forests of Albania, finding his way to a secret place the rats of teh forest had told him of. "Master," he whispered as he felt Voldemort's presence, "I have returned to you."

A harsh voice echoed from the woods. "You are late, Wormtail." Just past the trees, a clearing was visible. An inhuman childlike creature huddled in a bundle of robes before a banked fire as a tall man in a hooded robe drew venom from a large serpent nearby. Around the hooded mn's neck was a necklace from which hung several wizard's wands.

"Late, Master?" Wormtail quivered. "But...I have returned to you at my first safe chance to do so-"

"You lie," Voldemort hissed from the bundle. "You return to me only because you have nowhere else to go, now that the entire wizarding world knows of your animal secret."

"M-master?" Wormtail was shocked. He had hoped to regain his position with Voldemort with fresh information and promises of espionage.

"Your transformation was recorded, and the entire wizarding world is now aware of you. You are of no use to me, Wormtail." The hooded man stood up, walking across the clearing to where a unicorn hung, suspended by a magic web, tubes slowly draining blood from it while it still lived, aware but immobile. "In point of fact, you are worse than useless. You are a liability."

"But Master, I can be useful to you!" Wormtail pleaded.

As the hooded man set his vials down, Voldemort's voice spoke. "No...you can't. I have a much more useful - more loyal - servant already. Dispose of him how you see fit, Drago."

"With pleasure, Master," the hooded man said. Lunging forward, he seized Wormtail by his throat and wand hand before he could react. The hood fell back, revealing pale skin - as pale as Voldemort's - green hair and glowing red eyes. "Ya Gaa Mee Mo, Ya Gaa Mee Chi-Wah...Ya Gaa Mee Mo, Ya Gaa Mee Chi-Wah..."

The last thing Wormtail saw were those glowing red eyes, as magic and life left him and his body turned to dust.

End Book 3 


	23. Start Again

23. Start Again

Frank walked slowly through the hall toward the partially open door in the Riddle House. He didn't know who was there, but they weren't supposed to be, and it felt like trouble. He was determined to find out what was going on. Suddenly, a voice issued from within the room.

"Still hungry, Master?" the voice asked. Although the voice had consideration in it, heat boiled within the voice, giving it the feeling of a volcano just waking from dormancy. And worse, even in that simple queery, the voice was filled with bloodlust.

"Later, Drago," a voice responded. This voice couldn't be any more different from the other. While the one had been hot as a breath of hell, this voice was as cold as the frozen wastes of the polar regions, quiet and cruel. "Where is Nagini?"

"Exploring the house, Master. She will return soon. I will milk her before we retire, so that you will have more of your potion in the night."

"...you are an efficient servant, Drago." There was the sound of pacing within the room. "Patience, Drago. We shall only remain here a week. We must wait to act until after the Quidditch World Cup."

Frank scrubbed at his ear, sure he'd misheard, but the other voice replied, "I know. Even with the knowledge I drained from Bertha Jorkins when I stole her life and magic, I am not so foolish to make an assault against thousands of wizards."

"You were once, though, weren't you, Drago?" The cold voice dripped amusement.

The hot voice was quiet for a time. "We will have to go after Harry Potter when the defenses around him are weakened. While the magic tied to his relatives is no longer in play, the Black residence is protected by a Fidelius Charm, and my method of draining a wizard would not allow me to absorb their role as Secret Keeper...even if we knew which wizards were Secret Keepers."

"Yes," the cold voice replied. "A minor setback...but not one of too much concern. We will have ample opportunity to seize him with our plan. And after he has been dealt with...you will be free to have your revenge on the girl."

"I can hardly wait, Master."

Frank had been pushed beyond panic at this point. The casual cruelty of the two voices had frightened him to his core. He would leave and call the police, and-

"I hear Nagini," the cold voice said. The voice then continued in a strange tongue, a mix of hisses and croaking sounds. A large serpent slithered past Frank and into the room. More of the strange noises. "Nagini has interesting news. It seems there is an old Muggle outside the door, listening to our conversation. Do let him in, Drago."

Before Frank had a chance to react, the door was yanked open. The man who stood there had bright green hair and piercing red eyes. He seized Frank's wrist in a clawed hand and pulled, catching Frank in front of him with his arm pulled up behind his back, twisted painfully. "No smart moves, mortal," he whispered in his ear. "I'm getting...hungry."

Frank went stiff as he was frogmarched into the room to stand behind the armchair that faced the fire. "You heard everything, Muggle?" the cold voice asked from the chair.

"What's that you're calling me?" Frank asked.

The man holding him twisted the arm. "Show your respect to Lord Voldemort, peasant!" he snapped in his ears.

The cold voice chuckled. "No need for that, Drago...as amusing as it is. I called you a Muggle, because that is what you are. It means you are not a wizard."

"I don't know what you mean by that," Frank said, trying to find a way to get out of this situation, "and I don't have much respect for you, my lord, if you won't address me face to face."

There was quiet for a time. "Very well," the cold voice said. "Bring him around front, Drago. Do you wish to feed?"

"He doesn't have enough magic to make it worth the effort," Drago replied, as he brought Frank around in front of the chair.

What Frank saw there made him scream in horror until the flash of green light that silenced his screams forever.

Harry awoke with a start at the pain in his scar. At first, he was disoriented, but he quickly remembered where he was. He was in Sirius' house, living with his godfather. THis was the room Sirius had picked out for Harry. Then he remembered the dream.

As he struggled to put the dream out of his mind, there was a quiet poofing noise, and Kreecher had appeared at his bedside. "Is something the matter, young master?" While Kreecher's attitude towards Sirius and Harry had at first been quite hostile, it had mellowed considerably when Dobby had stopped by for a visit. Dobby had actually been looking for work - a notion Kreecher was quite vocal in opposition of - but Dobby's presence had changed Kreecher's opinion of Harry, learning he counted a freed house-elf amongst his friends.

Harry shook his head. "Just my scar hurting...and a bad dream."

Kreecher hopped from one foot to the other, clearly conflicted about something. "Master told me I was to tell him if young master's scar hurt him, but Kreecher is supposed to keep his master's secrets..."

"Harry?" Sirius opened the door. "What's got Kreecher in a swivet?"

Harry smiled at his godfather. "Just my scar hurting," he said quietly. "Hope I didn't wake you."

"I was up anyway," Sirius said dismissively. "Early morning Floo call. But this is important, Harry. Tell me about this." He sat down by Harry's bed, one hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry related the dream carefully, trying not to leave anything out. "But...I don't understand...what could this dream possibly mean?"

Sirius tapped Harry's scar gently. "I've been talking with Dumbledore about this, among...other things. He seems to be of the opinion that when Voldemort's curse rebounded, it forged some sort of magical connection between you two." Seeing Kreecher flinch at the mention of Voldemort, he waved his hand dismissively, freeing the house elf to return to his duties elsewhere. "I doubt if Voldemort is anywhere near here - he did say in the dream he couldn't find the place - but most likely, wherever he is, those events you percieved did happen. I'll let Dumbledore know about this. It could be important."

Harry nodded. "You sure we should bother him with this, though? I mean-"

"Harry, if you dreamed true, then Voldemort is regaining his power. That's news Dumbledore will want immediately." Taking quill and parchment, he quickly penned a letter to Dumbledore detailing the entire thing. Checking the details with Harry, he handed the letter to Hedwig, sending it off. "You might as well get up now, anyway," Sirius said coversationally. "We need to start getting things ready, anyway."

Harry got to his feet. "Ready for what?"

"As part of...reparations...for being wrongfully imprisoned in Azkaban, Dumbledore talked the Minister into getting me tickets for the Quidditch World Cup. 12 tickets in all, in the Minister's box, best seats in the game!" Grinning in response to Harry, he continued. "We're going to pick up Jade today, give her a few days to adjust to England time, then head out to join the Weasleys and Hermione to go to the game!"

Harry couldn't help but whoop. This was certainly the best summer of his life, no contest.

At 8 am Pacific Standard Time, Captain Black stood next to the Floo gate installed in Section 13, watching Jade carefully as he waited for the arrivals. She had her trunk completely packed, and Ruby was perched on her shoulder, tail idly flicking back and forth. Remembering something, Captain Black reached up and idly stroked Shadow, the black kitten Jade had given him on her return from Hogwarts early this summer. While still young, Shadow showed every sign he would grow into quite the fighter, and enjoyed being close to Augustus.

Glancing over, he saw Tohru standing there as well, the orange kitten he had named Marmalade climbing all over him like he was a jungle gym. This seemed to make Tohru quite happy.

At that moment, the Floo grate flared up with green fire, and two figures stepped out. One was Harry Potter. The other...was all too familiar to Captain Black. "Sirius," he greeted him coldly.

"Augustus," Sirius replied calmly. "I'd heard you were in law enforcement."

"I'd heard you had your own tangles with law enforcement," Augustus replied. Glancing over, he saw Jade sighing in frustration.

"Had you also heard I was aquitted?" Sirius asked.

"I had." Augustus noticed Jade pausing to take a drink of water. At that moment, he smirked, grabbed Sirius by the arm and pulled him into a tight hug. "It's good to see you again, cousin."

Jade spat the water she'd just drank all over the place, coughing a bit. "COUSIN?"

Augustus laughed. "I've been waiting to do that to her all summer! It was worth the wait."

Sirius laughed aloud. "You haven't changed a bit, Augustus."

Harry glanced back and forth, obviously confused and wanting an explanation.

Sirius grinned. "My father's brother was born a squib. Given most of my family's...fanaticism, he was disowned and had to make his own way. He came to America."

Augustus continued. "My father made his career in law enforcement...but he knew of the wizarding world. He was the Muggle law enforcement contact for the American Wizard's Congress. While the rest of the family pretended we didn't exist, Sirius looked us up after he graduated Hogwarts. We got along quite well."

Jade looked up. "Then how come you never accepted Uncle's explanations of magic when we were dealing with the Talismans?"

He shrugged. "I was part of the conspiracy keeping the wizarding world secret. I wasn't about to renig on that just because who I thought was a crazy old man was convinced magic was involved."

Sirius laughed. "Uncle is a crazy old man, cousin. He's also usually right."

Augustus shook his head. "Well I know that NOW..."

After a time of idle chatting - Sirius and Augustus had a LOT of catching up to do - they returned to the Floo grate. "We need to get going. International Floo transfers need to be arranged ahead of time - especially now - and we need to get back to England while our clearance is still good."

"Right," Jade said. She hugged Tohru tight. "Barring unforseen chaos at school, I should see you and everyone else come winter!"

Tohru smiled. "I guess we'll see you in summer, then. YOU will be at Hogwarts, after all."

"Tohru!" Everyone laughed. Jade, Harry, and Sirius returned through the Floo grate, exiting at the Black residence.

Jade adapted easily to the change in time zones, and Sunday evening the three of them went to the Burrow to join the Weasleys. Jade had already gotten all her Hogwarts gear in America, including the dress robes that were apparently required. She didn't know why she would need them, but the shopkeeper in Occult Dezac - California's equivalent to Diagon Alley - had helped her pick out an outfit that looked good on her and - she was assured - was the perfect look for dress robes. While they could have taken the motorcycle or called a Paladin Express, Sirius claimed Buckbeak needed the exercise, and he'd already prepared the proper charm that would make any Muggle see him as an ordinary horse once he landed and unnoticed while in the air.

Landing outside the burrow, Buckbeak - obviously hungry - snatched up a passing gnome and proceeded to devour it. This seemed to please Mrs. Weasley, who'd come out to welcome them. They could tell Mrs. Weasley was preparing a big feast to welcome everyone, especially since two large tables were being set up outside.

Jade met Bill and Charlie, and was quite impressed with both of them. She listened to various talk - on everything from the World Cup to the latest rag from Rita Skeeter - and did what she could to help set up.

Sirius seemed quite interested in the fake wands Fred and George had made, and - since they had learned of his identity as Padfoot - were eager to show him the other joke products they had made. At first, Mrs. Weasley wasn't too keen on the encouragement, but Sirius said something to her that shut her up rather rapidly, and Jade managed to overhear.

"Molly, Dumbledore is of the opinion that Voldemort is regaining his power, and I see no reason to doubt him. Voldemort thrived on fear, and created an atmosphere of fear that left many without hope. During that time, James told me the best thing for all of us was to find something to laugh at each day, since only laughter can defeat fear - much as it defeats the boggart, the embodiment of fear. If Voldemort's to come again, the best thing those two can do for the entire world is make as many people laugh as they possibly can."

Mrs. Weasley went very quiet after that, and didn't speak out against the "Weasley Wizard Wheezes" when they were brought up later. Jade, however, only shook her head. She was glad Harry was getting to live with Sirius. It was good for him.

Jade went along with everyone else to catch the Portkey to the Quidditch World Cup early the next morning. They met up there with Amos and Cedric. Clearly, despite Sirius' well announced aquittal, he sill made Mr. Diggory nervous. Cedric, however, was quite friendly, or at least tried to be.

Once they rode the Portkey to the site, Sirius took over. He had no trouble with Muggle money, and got them to their campsite - in a rather good location - without any trouble. He then pulled out the two tents he'd brought with from his place. "Right," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Which of you kids has experience with camping?" Jade and Hermione raised their hands. "Alright, then you two are in charge of setting up the tents. I'll see about getting a fire going. Each of you take a tent: they're identical, so it doesn't matter which one is for boys or girls until after they're set up."

Jade was pleased to see that Harry, Fred, and George came to assist her with her tent, while Ron, Ginny, and Mr. Weasley worked with Hermione. It was relatively easy for Jade's group, as at least all of them had experience with Muggle tools. As she worked, however, Jade found herself lost in thought. It seemed - without her even being aware of it - she had started thinking of the world in terms of wizard and Muggle, instead of magic and normal as she once had. She thought back, trying to determine the exact point when she'd made the shift. It seemed important, somehow.

Once the tents were set up - Jade couldn't help but smile when her group finished first - it was determined that would be the girls tent while the boys would take the other. However, Jade was nervous about space. While they were rather large tents - each looked to comfortably bed 4 at least - it didn't look big enough for their group...until she glanced inside and found an entire four bedroom suite inside. Ducking back out, she grinned at Sirius. "So when do I get to meet The Doctor?" she asked with a grin.

Sirius laughed, although the others were apparently confused, as Fred actually asked, "Doctor Who?" This only made Jade and Sirius laugh harder.

After fetching other supplies they needed - and a rather unenlightening conversation with Bagman and Crouch - Harry, Jade, Ron, and Hermione wandered around looking as the shopkeepers apparated in. However, Jade noticed something that immediately caught her attention and arroused her ire. Without pausing to think about what she was doing, she stormed right up to the 'No Chance' sales operative. "What exactly is the meaning of this?" she demanded, pointing at one of the products available for sale.

The sales person blinked, not immediately recognizing her. "Why, this is the latest 'No Chance Industries' product. An improvment on the classic Omnioculars, by providing a direct magical connection with the Lorespheres set up to capture the entire match, the wearer may experience the entire match in real time without missing a single detail-"

"I know what it is!" Jade snapped as Harry, Ron and Hermione approached. "I signed off on the development not two weeks ago! Why are you selling it when it hasn't cleared safety testing yet? How dare you!"

The shopkeeper wilted, now recognizing her. "Miss Chan, forgive me, but the product cleared final testing just this morning!" He pulled out the paperwork, complete with approval signatures from the higher ups, along with the signature of the CFO, Remus Lupin. "We weren't able to get ahold of you for final approval in time, so Mr. Lupin made the final decision to approve it for sale at the World Cup, and that he'd be contacting you about it."

Jade glanced over the paperwork, checking all the tests that it had gone through. "...alright," she said at last. "It seems it IS safe for the public after all." Pulling out a quill, she quickly signed her name in the proper place to authorize final approval.

The shopkeeper smiled. "Here," he said, handing over four units. "We knew you'd be here, and these were set aside for you and your friends. Funds have already been transferred and documented, we know you don't skim products."

Jade rolled her eyes. "Thanks," she said drily. Turning, she noticed Ron and Hermione staring at her. "...crap..."

"Jade," Ron gasped out. "YOU'RE CEO of 'No Chance'?"

"CEO and founder," Hermione corrected, though also plainly awed.

"Please don't make a big deal about this," Jade begged them quietly, handing out the Magnaviewers.

"Don't make a big deal about you being the richest 14 year old in the wizarding world," Ron said, still in awe.

Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. "What did you expect, Ron? I mean, honestly." She began to examine the unit, which was a full helmet reminiscent of sci-fi VR helmets, complete with a glove control panel. "Ooh, this is nice!"

Ron shook his head over the Magnaviewer. "This must be worth-"

"The sale price is 15 Galleons," Jade said, "but I think of this as an advertising expense. After all, we'll be using them in the Minister's box."

Harry grinned. "Good to see money hasn't changed you," he said happily, trying it on.

Jade was glad that donning the Magnaviewer meant Harry didn't see her brief blush. "Come on, we should go join the others. The game will be starting soon." 


	24. Different Games, Different Views

24. Different Games, Different Views

Jade walked happily up the steps to the Minister's box where their seats were...at least, for the first few flights. By the 10th flight, she was grumbling. "Is it really so hard to make a temporary magical elevator?" she grumbled as they reached the mobile platform that was the Minister's box.

"Elevator?" Mr. Weasley said happily. "I've heard about those. They run on eckltricity, don't they?"

Jade sighed. "Never mind," she muttered, as Sirius got everyone into their assigned seats. She managed to convince herself it was coincidence that she was sitting right next to Harry with Sirius on Harry's other side...until Sirius winked at her over Harry's head.

There started to be a bit of a problem when the Malfoys also entered as Lucius made some snide comments regarding the Weasleys' presence...until Sirius stood up. "Do you have a problem with my choice of guests, Lucius?" he asked coldly.

Sirius and Lucius stared at each other for a time, a silent battle of wills. Lucius averted his gaze. "I suppose one must take whatever friends one can get when one has been gone for so long."

Sirius smirked. "I suppose one must accept whatever company one finds themselves with when one has no friends."

Lucius' face went white at the veiled insult and sat down without another word. Draco Malfoy had stood to the side, keeping out of the confrontation. Jade was mildly amused to see a Magnaveiwer clutched in his hands as he took his seat.

Eventually, Ludo Bagman stood up to announce the teams and their mascots. First up was the team from Bulgaria. At first, Jade was confused when Mr. Weasley and Sirius both got rather excited that the mascots were veela, whatever they were. Then Jade saw them.

They were magical creatures of some sort, but were obviously very closely related to humans. They seemed almost ethereal, and were obviously quite beautiful. Jade looked down at herself, squashing the first developing feelings of inadequacy.

Then the music and dancing started, and Jade could feel the beginnings of anger developing inside of her. When she saw the blank look in Harry's eyes, her own eyes got very hard. As he stood up - to what end, she didn't care - she reached out and grabbed his ear, pulling him back into his seat just as the music stopped. When he looked at her in confusion - at his own actions or hers, she wasn't sure - she just glowered at him. For some reason, this amused Sirius to no end, who did not seem to have been undully effected by the magic Jade had felt in the music and dance.

As the leprechauns came onto the field, Jade thought about the magic she'd felt. It was a rather powerful seductive charm, just below the bewitchment effect of the original glamours, which could literally steal away a person's free will as they were consumed by passion. Veela were probably more closely related to the mythological succubi than to humans then. ...an idle thought on whether she could learn a dance that incorporated such magic briefly flickered in Jade's mind before being dashed aside by the start of the game.

Jade slipped her Magnaviewer on, testing it's functionality. It seemed to work flawlessly, and the strain on the psyche from absorbing so much visual and auditory information simultaneously wasn't nearly as great as she'd originally anticipated. *Someone in R&D's getting a raise,* she thought to herself. *The data buffers work flawlessly. If I didn't know how this thing worked, I'd have no idea that my time sense was being stretched. I can't feel it at all.* Just to see how it would feel, she shifted her perspective around the field, from loresphere to loresphere set up to record the match. The transition was seamless, as though she flew through the air around the stadium. Even staring down at her own self using the Magnaviewer caused no disorientation, and there wasn't any signal degredation despite there being thousands of units in use. *For once, wizards will get their money's worth,* she thought, *especially since these things auto record, and the recorded data can be downloaded to a lore sphere.*

She watched the game happily, enjoying the new Quidditch terminology she learned - each play was clearly labeled within the view - and rather surprised to see that the Magnaveiwer also filtered out the hypnotic effects of Veela dancing and music. A message popped up saying, [Foreign Perception Magic Detected: Filtering], and that was it. She almost found playing with all the extra features that had been included more fun than the game itself...almost. She cheered along with everyone else as the game continued to such a fever pitch. She had to admit, Viktor Krum certainly was expert on his broomstick...although she privately suspected that Harry would be better one day, though she wasn't sure what made her think that.

As the game ended, however, she found that she...respected Krum. He'd seen defeat beyond a chance of recovery, and had ended the game with honor. She wondered how many professional athletes there were who could do that. She couldn't help but think that most Seeker's in Krum's position would have just made sure Lynch never caught the Snitch while waiting in the vain hope his team would catch up. She respected Krum's honor and grace in defeat. ...she couldn't help but think that some might find him handsome if he didn't scowl all the time. Not her type, though.

Idly, she wondered just what her type might be.

Sirius grinned happily as everyone made their way back to the tents. Despite the Malfoy's presence, it had been a very enjoyable game. He had been a bit confused about the headsets the children - although they wouldn't be children for long - had been wearing, but had crowed with delight when he'd tried Harry's on after the match and was able to rewatch the entire thing. On learning that Jade had been the creative force behind the device - it was her company that made it, after all - he asked, "What's next? Wizard television?"

Jade had simply grinned up at him, tapping her nose.

Back at the tents, he curled up, ready to sleep soundly. It was still a strange feeling for him, after 12 years in Azkaban, to go to bed happy, knowing he would be happy in the morning. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the change, or what to think, although he never went so far as to believe this was "back to normal"...

As the noise erupted in the night, however, long dormant instincts within his mind erupted. Arthur was also awake, but he seemed frightened. However, Sirius had no room in heart or mind for fear. He recognized the feel of the air - the feel of Dark Magic - and the animal inside him gave him only one answer.

Protect the Pack.

Leaving Arthur to wake Harry and the others in the boys tent, he rushed to the girls tent and woke them, rapidly sending them all into the woods, leaving only himself, Arthur, Bill, Charlie, and Percy from their group to face the approaching Death Eaters.

"Sirius," Arthur said quietly, "I really wish one of us could have gone with the kids-"

"How much do you know about fighting Death Eaters?" Sirius asked him. When Arthur was silent, he continued, "Precisely. I'm the only one here with any actual combat experience. We form a defensive line, but not engaging. We want to slow the march to give reinforcements time to get here. Anyone who runs this way, we direct towards the woods. Any adults who have their wits about them we recruit to hold the line. And don't worry about the kids." Sirius grinned broadly. "Your twins have more tricks up their sleeves then anyone this side of Loki, my godson's got the sense to keep everyone safe...and then their's Jade and her cat." His grin turned evil. "Short of a large group of them getting through, I pity the Death Eater that crosses their path."

Sirius' confidence was obviously catching, as Arthur, Bill, and Charlie grinned back. Charlie spoke up, though. "Considering Norbert is submissive to that cat, I'd say you've got a point."

Sirius laughed as he pictured a full grown Norwegian Ridgeback bowing low as a cat sat on his nose, batting at the nostrils and hissing. The laughter still inside him, he turned to face the approaching Death Eaters, suddenly confident that there was nothing here he couldn't handle.

Draco stood in the woods, as instructed by his father, away from the mayhem. Although part of him would have liked to join in the fun, he knew it wouldn't do for him to be out there, especially since any use of magic on his part would let the Ministry know exactly who was out there causing mayhem. However, he saw a spot of fun come his way as Potter came crashing through the woods, his friends in his wake. When Weasley mentioned tripping over a tree root, Draco couldn't help but reply, "With feet that size, hard not to."

The red haired boy responded with a suggestion that Draco do something anatomically improbable.

"Language, Weasley," he responded, enjoying this a great deal. "Hadn't you better be hurrying on? You wouldn't want her spotted, would you?" He pointed derisevly at Hermione.

As there was another flash of light, Malfoy saw something that made his blood run cold. Jade stood there in her night clothes - she still preferred pajamas, apparently - hiding her face in Harry's back, shivering. As Draco listened, he heard her saying, over and over, "I can't take that many, I can't take that many..."

Draco stared at her for a time, ignoring the others for a moment that seemed to stretch out for eternity. Then, deep inside him, something seemed to briefly disconnect before snapping back into place. He turned. "Get them out of here, Potter!" he said bluntly. "I'll cover your trail." He didn't wait to see if he listened, but followed the path they had taken out of the woods for a bit.

Once he was a good distance away, he reached into his robe and pulled out a small cage. Father would have his hide if he knew he had taken this out of the house...and his head if he knew Draco intended to use it on a Muggleborn's behalf...but the image of Jade being puppetted and pirouetted through the air like a doll, completely helpless, had made Draco physically nauseous. He would not allow it to happen.

He opened the door of the cage. Inside was a strangely constructed nest, a silver chain, and a floating blue light. The light was a creature known as a fae spark. No one was quite sure where they came from or all the details of their capabilities, as they weren't found in the wild anymore. However, a few were guarded jealously by the wizarding families who had them.

Fae sparks were unusual creatures. They were invisible to magic's eye, and seemed to exist in more than one plane of existence. They could phase completely out of reality...but would always return within their nests. If a fae spark's nest was destroyed, they would die. Immune to most forms of magic, they could only be controlled through the use of a silver chain, which compelled obedience when attatched, allowing wizards - mostly dark wizards - to make use of their most useful magic...they shed a special dust that obliterated all trace of a person or group's passage through an area, making it as it appeared before they went through.

As Draco reached for the chain, the fae spark flew out of the cage, unchained. Inwardly cursing, Draco tried to attatch the chain...only to see the creature float over the path Potter and the others had taken, shedding the special dust that returned the area to complete normalcy. It then floated in another direction, shedding a different dust. Before Draco's eyes, a trail appeared, exactly resembling that which Potter and the others had left, but going in a different direction. The fae spark then flew up to him...and nuzzled his cheek. It felt strangely warm and soft, as if an exceptionally tiny person had tried to give him a big hug.

As he turned to go, he heard a very quiet voice say, "this way." Turning, he saw the fae spark, floating in the opposite direction. As he turned to go that way, the fae spark flew back into its cage, shutting the door itself. Confused but determined, Draco stuffed the cage back into the hidden pocket of his robes. While always before he'd felt nervous carrying the creature, he now found its presence strangely comforting.

Once everything had settled down and the Dark Mark was explained to him, Harry managed to take a few calming breaths. He spent a few moments comforting Jade, helping her to get over her fright. Once she recovered, she shivered a bit. Apparently, the shivers had more been because the casting of the Dark Mark had felt evil to her, like Death walking over your grave. An unpleasant sensation, from the sound of it.

However, what confused Harry the most had been just after the Dark Mark was conjured. As he curled up in the spare bed in Ron's room back at the Burrow, he thought about what had happened. His vision had been touched by that white sheen again. It had been there from the moment he'd seen the Death Eaters and felt Jade's fear. He still didn't understand it. While he had seen the world that way, he had somehow known implicitly that he could trust Malfoy - his oldest enemy - when he said he'd cover their trail. He had also known when they were far enough away to slow down and rest. But the confusing part...when the other wizards had appeared after the Dark Mark and cast the Stunners, Harry had instinctively thrown himself over Jade and his vision went completely white.

According to Ron and Hermione, a pure white barrier that felt like a Patronus had appeared in the air around Harry and Jade, and when one of the Stunners had impacted it, the spell had rebounded - colored slightly paler - and flown at the wizard who'd cast it at nearly triple it's original velocity. Harry had no idea what spell it had been that he cast to protect Jade there...or even if it was a spell, since he didn't have his wand at that moment. He didn't understand what the white light that invaded his vision at those times was...or why it seemed to worry Sirius so much when he told him about it before bed...

...but he was glad he was able to protect Jade. ...now as long as he had the sense to never actually say that to her face, he could keep his own in it's proper configuration.

Ruby sat back and watched the humans sleep. Things were rapidly growing serious, more serious than she had anticipated. She had felt the dark currents rising over the summer, but she had no idea it forbode this much trouble.

Small footsteps approached her, silent to a humans ears. "Mother?" asked the quiet voice of the one the humans called Tigerlily.

"Yes, Daughter?" Ruby asked, turning to face her. "What troubles you?"

"Why are humans so stupid?"

Ruby chuckled. "Which particular stupidity are you asking about?"

"Scar boy still doesn't get that the white magic he uses is there to protect Jade because he loves her. And Ron hasn't figured out he sees the brainy girl as more than a friend. But their pheremones would give it away even if I had a stuffed nose!"

Crookshanks chuckled from nearby. "They're stupid like that for our sakes, child. If humans could solve their own problems, we'd be out of a job."

"Too right," Ruby muttered, idly nuzzling against Crookshanks relatively massive chest. "Still, it would be less stressful if they could make our jobs a little easier."

"True." Tigerlily rolled on her back, batting at air. "It would be less fun, though." 


	25. The First Domino

25. The First Domino

Jade got up rather groggily as the Burrow began to come to life with the rising sun. She managed to make it downstairs in time to hear the entirety of the urgent message from the ministry for Mr. Weasley. Since much of it was nonsense to her, she decided to do some quick research with her PDA.

She had worked hard on figuring out how to make ordinary muggle electronic devices function in high magical fields. Her latest success - near meteoric - had been the discovery that certain magical crystals naturally generated a low level electrical field. By installing these crystal in electronic devices in place of certain resistors and capacitors, the device could function in places like Hogwarts, although certain enchantments needed to be placed to change certain functions. Her PDA, for example, had been amplified with slightly altered spatial expansion spells to amplify its storage space for any and all magical world knowledge she might need, as well as an Expectancy Charm that caused anyone without magic to see only ordinary data on its screen when she was researching the magical. She had also given a similar upgrade to her cell phone, using a careful spell so that - when contacting a magical number - it connected via the Floo Network, in essence allowing her to call a fireplace. It proved quite effective, and since this particular enchantment only kicked in when placing a magical call or in a high magical field, it was completely within the laws set down regarding the enchantment of Muggle Artifacts. ...she promised herself never to explain this particular loophole to Mr. Weasley, though.

Scanning her PDA, she examined the data available to her on Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody. From there, she read the details regarding an Auror, and other things that perked her interest. This lead her to information relating to the efforts the Aurors had put forth towards the end of the war with Voldemort, and other stories that she found of progessively less interest. She found explaining the function of her PDA to Bill when he asked to be far more entertaining, since he seemed to have a strong grasp of Muggle technology, though how she wouldn't begin to guess. Probably from traveling the world for his work.

When Mrs. Weasley mentioned going to call a couple of taxi cabs to get them all to King's Cross, however, Jade balked. While she didn't really like showing off her wealth around the Weasley's, the idea of being cramped into an ordinary Muggle cab when she could easily be comfortable with one phone call won out. Ruby's commentary helped as well.

*If you try to stick me in those clown carriers humans call a taxi, I swear to Bastet I will gouge someone's eyes out.*

Given that reassurance, she pulled out her phone and placed the call. "Hello, it's me. Yes, I need a pick up. The Burrow. My usual driver? Thanks. Two minutes? I'll be waiting." She hung up her phone and turned to find Mrs. Weasley and the others staring at her. "What?"

"Now dear, I was just going to call a couple of cabs, you didn't need to-"

"Please, Mrs. Weasley, consider this my treat to everyone as thanks for your warm hospitality." Jade smiled ingratiatingly. "Besides, I'm sure this will be a much more enjoyable experience for everyone."

"Well, alright," Mrs. Weasley conceeded. "But who did you..." Her voice trailed off as the limo pulled up to the driveway.

A young woman with bright red hair and mischevious green eyes stepped out of the drivers seat, wearing the traditional uniform of a Muggle chauffer, complete with hat...although a small green leaf was stuck in the brim just over her eyes. "Good to see you again, Ms. Chan."

"Mara," Jade sighed as she grabbed her trunk. "I've asked you to call me Jade. You certainly drive me enough."

"Protocol, Ms. Chan," Mara replied, smiling. "Everyone coming?"

Everyone managed to get into the limo, although Mrs. Weasley hyperventilated a bit at riding with the Paladin Express. "Jade...how can you manage to..." She couldn't manage to finish her sentence.

Jade shrugged. "My business ventures with my crafting projects have been...profitable." She glowered at Ron as he made a choking noise from holding back his reaction to her understatement. Once everyone was in, however, she turned to Mara. "Mara, you know what I've said about your mirage."

Mara smiled. "Have to keep it up when outside." Reaching up, she plucked the leaf from her hat. There was a poof of white smoke, and when it faded...Mara had taken on a rather vulpine appearance, with bright red fur and three full fox tails.

As everyone else stared, Jade explained. "Mara is a kitsune, a magical race of fox-like humanoids from Japan. They are but one of many such races from around the world who are somewhere between human and animal in appearance."

Hermione nodded. "I heard there's been quite a bit of furor in the Ministry about how exactly such races are to be classified on the scale from creature to person, since even within each individual race some members...vary on the scale. Not to mention their numbers and appearance make it hard to keep out of Muggle sight."

Mara nodded as she started the vehicle. "Yes, only the Kitsune and our sister tribe - the Tanooki - have the magical ability to alter our appearance to appear mostly human. However, outside of Great Britain, regulations regarding our behaviors are a bit more...lax. Our people's are especially able to walk freely in Japan - where many work as voice actors and character models for various anime and video games - and in America. It's amazing how easily a Muggle will overlook an obviously non-human entity at a convention." Jade, Sirius, and Bill all found this highly amusing, although most of the others were quite lost. "Vegas is also a good place to work." Mara sighed as the limo manuevered through traffic towards King's Cross station. "The hard part is, with more and more of our traditional ranges becoming civilized by Muggle and wizard colonization, our numbers are starting to dwindle. To survive and blend in, a large portion of us have intermarried with wizards...and even Muggles. The resulting children tend to be more human, but with strong magic tied to their parentage. My cousin actually attends the Youkai Academy in Japan to learn to master her power and blend in with human society. She sends me letters frequently."

Jade smiled. "I'm glad."

Conversation amongst passengers and driver continued over less sensitive subjects until they reached the station, at which point Mara returned the leaf to her hat, once more appearing outwardly human. "I'll just help you unload, shall I?"

Jade smiled. "Think you could wait and give Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, and Sirius a lift back once we leave on the train?"

"Certainly." Once on board the train they waved goodbye, then settled in for the long ride.

As the train moved off, Jade put the small hints about something big happening at Hogwarts from her mind. She figured she'd learn about it when she needed to.

Malfoy stopped by their compartment, ostensibly to taunt Harry about 'entering' whatever was happening at Hogwarts and Ron about him not knowing. However, it seemed to Jade that this was more an excuse then an actual reason, as he kept glancing surreptitiously towards her. He was unnervingly good at surreptitious glances.

*He was worried about you,* Ruby informed her calmly as Malfoy left the compartment. *He wanted to make sure you were okay after your fright at the World Cup. He'd be a bit more interesting if his motives weren't so transparent.*

After Malfoy had left, Jade had a real surprise as Ron spoke up, "Did it seem Malfoy's heart wasn't really in his taunts this time around, or was that just me?"

Jade managed to stop laughing by the time they actually reached Hogwarts...barely.

Once off the train, Jade slogged with the others through the torrential downpour, all of them quickly becoming soaked to the bone. On reaching the school, Jade heard Peeves tossing water ballons and reacted quickly. Catching several water balloons in a quickly cast shield charm, she crushed them as she collapsed the charm, and released a high pressure stream of water straight up Peeves nose. Ignoring several cheers, she proceeded with her friends to the Grand Hall.

She listened as the Sorting Hat sang its song, wondering what the world must have been like in the days when Hogwarts was first built. She wondered how it had been constructed, animated, enchanted. There was so much to this school no one knew. She wondered if she'd get a chance to find out. As the song drew to a close, she did something she hadn't tried before. She attempted to make direct contact with the awareness she sensed within the stones.

The school seemed to be hesitant about something, but towards herself she detected mild amusement. Obviously, she wasn't doing this quite right.

As the Sorting finished, she listened as Dumbledore explained about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament, and the rules regarding it. It seemed this year would be interesting, to say the least. Although she had no actual interest in entering the Tournament - even if she were old enough to - she did look forward to watching. She found Fred and George's frustration about being held back by a matter of months amusing, though.

Hermione's fuss about the house elves left Jade feeling a little frustrated, however. She'd known about the house elves at Hogwarts since last year, and didn't see the fuss. She knew that house elves were an established part of the wizarding world, and irregardless of what she thought based on life in the Muggle world, she needed to know the whole situation before forming an opinion...especially since the house elf who had helped with Ruby and her kittens last year had seemed especially happy. Jade made a mental note to research how house elves came to be...well, house elves.

She did look forward to studying under Mad Eye Moody, just to see what he was like and capable of. After reading about the Aurors - and him in particular - she was eager to learn what she could.

She listened calmly on the way up the stairs as discussion regarding the tournament and Moody bounced around, stifling a yawn. It had been a full day, and while it seemed nearly over, she still felt it had been too long. Staggering into the dorm, she fell into bed, curling up to sleep. Somehow, she was sure tomorrow would be a good day. 


End file.
